Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs – Scared dog used as puppy producing machine is saved
THIS is the moment that television’s favourite dog lover Paul O'Grady shows an abandoned pet she is in safe hands.
The TV star could not wait to give the tragic Yorkshire terrier a kiss to let her know her days of horror have come to an end.
Cute Wilma was found tied to a tree and wearing a threadbare Christmas jumper to hide her flea-bitten skin after being used as a backstreet puppy producing machine.
Luckily, she was handed to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home whose veterinary team got to work treating her for a heart murmur, rotten teeth and mammary glands left swollen and leaking milk.
The signs all add up to her producing litter after litter for the unscrupulous dog trade before her time ran out and she was heartlessly thrown on the streets.
Wilma’s the perfect example of why we need to do more to stop backstreet breeding
With no microchip nor owners anxious to come forward, Wilma is one of many animals whose stories have made Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs one of television’s most popular series.
Her story will feature tonight, October 19, when the show returns for its sixth series on ITV at 8.30pm.
Viewers will have to tune in to find out if Wilma’s story has a happy ending.
Yet for staff at Battersea’s London centre, Wilma has become a symbol of why backstreet dog breeding must be stopped.
Manager Rob Young said: “It’s hard to believe a gentle and sweet dog like Wilma was treated so badly.
"She’s such a loving dog who always tries to climb into everyone’s arms for a cuddle and it’s heart-breaking to think of her looking for affection and being met only with cruelty.
“Battersea has long been campaigning for better regulations around the breeding and sale of dogs, as we know there are other dogs just like Wilma all over the UK being forced to breed in horrible conditions before their puppies are taken away from them and they’re forced to do it all over again.
"Wilma’s the perfect example of why we need to do more to stop backstreet breeding.”