Bruce the bull lurcher finds a new home after thugs set him on fire, cave his head in and leave him for dead
- WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
- Thugs set fire to Bruce and caved in his head during prolonged beating
- The bull lurcher was found wandering around Carlisle after he was left for dead
- ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that awful’, RSPCA inspector says
- Bruce has been adopted by one of the vets who saved his life
A lucky bull lurcher has recovered from a vicious beating to find a new, loving home.
Bruce needed life saving surgery after vicious attackers left him for dead near Carlisle two years ago.
Incredible pictures show his recovery since he was set on fire and had his head ‘caved in’ in a callous attack.
Lifesaving surgery put Bruce on the way to a miraculous recovery after he was beaten and set on fire by mindless thugs near Carlisle. Two years on he has found a new, loving home
Bruce the bull-lurcher needed life-saving surgery when he was found dumped, beaten and left for dead two years ago with shocking injuries.
Photographs from the time showed a cowering Bruce covered in blood with swelling around his eye from the horrific beating he suffered.
He was also so underweight that his rib cage was visible.
Vets rushed him to theatre to repair his fractured skull and treat the infection in his head caused by suspected splinters from the wood used to beat him.
An MRI scan revealed that the poor pooch’s skull was ‘shattered’ and he couldn’t open his jaw.
RSPCA inspector Sam Morris said she was “absolutely gobsmacked” with the state Bruce was in when she was taken in to vets car.
Vets performed life saving surgery on Bruce after his head was ‘caved in’. Now he’s living happily with one of those vets. Marie Coleman said it was ‘love at first sight’ when she met him
Vets were concerned he would not pull through the surgery as his injuries were so severe.
But he is now a picture of health as after being adopted by Marie Coleman, who was working at the vet surgery where he was taken for his treatment.
She said it was “love at first sight” and initially fostered him before adopting him permanently after helping him on his long road to recovery.
X-ray scans show the state of Bruce’s injuries when he was taken to vets in 2018
She said: “He has settled in very well. He loves home life.
“His wounds have healed very well. You can hardly see his scar at the top of his head.
“He lost all of his hair on his bottom from being burnt and all the way down the inside of his legs, which has healed up beautifully.
“He is so special. Bruce is 100 per cent happy in life and he’s made our lives 100 per cent better.”
Bruce was found wandering in a sleepy village on the outskirts of Carlisle on 30 August, 2018, when he was rushed to the vets for the life-saving surgery.
The crossbreed had a deep hole in the top of his skull, burns around his tail and puncture wounds in the side of his face.
The wounds were thought to have been caused by being beaten with a bit of wood with a nailing sticking out.
RSPCA Inspector Sam Morris said: “I was absolutely gobsmacked at what I saw.
Bruce has made a full recovery since sustaining the horrific injuries. RSPCA inspector Sam Morris (pictured) said his tail was wagging the moment he woke up from surgery
“I’ve worked for the RSPCA for 10 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that awful.
“We know Bruce had been in that condition for a number of days before he got the vet treatment he needed.
“The pain that he must have been in is unimaginable. He was losing the will to carry on.”
“You really question what kind of person could do this.
“Vets said the side of his face had been caved in and described the damage to his skull as dramatic.
Bruce is a fighter. As soon as he woke up from the surgery his tail was wagging!”
The miraculous tale will feature on the new series of The Dog Rescuers, which kickstarts tonight on Channel 5.
In the first episode, presenter Alan Davies says it is a “miracle” that Bruce survived and recovered from his ordeal.