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Battler Tido survives with tender loving care

A NEGLECTED dog is on the road to recovery after Broome animal lovers intervened last month.

The animal had a debilitating case of scabies and was on the brink of being put down.

Tido’s plight lit up the town’s social media networks after Rainsong owner Chrissy Carter posted photos of the eight-month-old, in a plea for help on November 22.

Red-raw with bleeding sores, a forlorn Tido was being held at the pound after being seized and was due to be put down later that day.

Within minutes of his photo appearing online, donors agreed to pay for his treatment, but he needed a home.

Just as things appeared hopeless, film-maker Jub Clerc agreed to take him in.

Today, while still bald – apart from a tiny tuft of hair on his tail – Tido’s scabs are healing and he is delighted to have found a permanent home.

Ms Clerc said when Tido arrived, he was weak, depressed and “not in the best form”.

“He had open wounds that were bleeding – he was bright, bright pink and he was hungry,” she said.

Immediately, Ms Clerc and husband Greg started administering an estimated eight weeks of treatment – derma baths, injections, tablets and eyedrops.

Within days, he had started wagging his tail.

“Now, he’s got a lot more strength, his belly is full – he’s got the most beautiful temperament,” Ms Clerc said.

“He’s very gentle … he looks happier and he’s got the most stunning, bright, yellow-green eyes.”

Ms Clerc said she had no intention of passing the lucky dog on to Saving Animals From Euthanasia (SAFE) when he was better.

“He loves the family and we love him,” she said.

Broome Shire Rangers said it was common for dogs to be removed from households in Broome under circumstances like Tido’s, and it was very difficult to find carers or new homes for them, given the high demand on carer organisations such as SAFE.