A dog who was suffering with two skull fractures and a catalogue of other severe wounds when he was rescued by the RSPCA is now loving life in a new home following an amazing transformation captured in a heart-warming video.
The animal welfare charity was responding to reports that a man had beaten and attempted to strangle a dog in the garden of a property in London when the rescuer came across Nelson who had serious head wounds and other visible injuries.
RSPCA Inspector Shahnaz Ahmad attended the address with the police and when no one answered the door she peered through the letterbox and could see Nelson in the hallway and was immediately concerned about obvious injuries to the terrified doberman.
Nelson’s owner then returned home, and after initially threatening the officers he eventually said Shahnaz could enter the house and check on his dog. She was immediately concerned when she saw Nelson had a swelling on his head, as well as an open wound to his back leg along with other scabs on his body.
She said: “Nelson was clearly terrified of the owner. When I was looking through the letterbox before he arrived he was wagging his tail towards me. As soon as the man went through the door he had taken himself to the back of the hallway and was shaking and cowering.
“I have not seen any dog so terrified as this. As well as the obvious injuries across his body he just looked broken – it was awful.
“I knew I had to get him emergency vet treatment and fortunately – although he was terrified – he still had enough trust for me to get him out. He didn’t seem frightened of me, and he walked nicely to my van.”
Shahnaz rushed Nelson to RSPCA Finsbury Park Animal Hospital following the rescue in July 2024 but once outside the centre doors, Nelson froze in fear.
She said: “He didn’t want to go in and was probably scared of what might happen to him inside after everything he’d been through. I had to really coax him through the hospital doors.”
Nelson was still shaking with fear when RSPCA vet, Eleanor Myerscough (pictured), tried to examine him. In the end, she decided it would be kindest to sedate him, so she could x-ray him.
During the examination she found two fractures on his skull – one on the top of his head and another on his cheekbone. There were further multiple non-accidental injuries all over his body, including down his spine.
The friendly dog was given immediate pain relief and medication to help with his anxiety and plenty of rest andTLC to help him recover. He was then transferred into the care of the RSPCA’s Essex South, Southend and District Branch where he was rehabilitated over the next 12 months,while the legal process to prosecute his owner took place.
e He then landed on his paws in a new home with Donna Batchelor and her son Ben (pictured right) in Chelmsford, Essex.
The RSPCA is telling Nelson’s story as part of its ‘Cruelty Hurts Love Rescues’ campaign after shocking new figures released by the animal welfare charity show a massive 64% increase in summer cruelty to animals over the last five years. In June, July and August last year the RSPCA took 6,322 cruelty calls* to their emergency line (one call every 10 minutes) compared to 3,852 in 2021.
Fortunately Nelson responded well after his rescue, and within a matter of days he gained some confidence.Instead of shaking with fear he began to approach staff at the animal hospital with a wagging tail. He had anxiety issues but staff at the RSPCA branch patiently helped him prepare for a new home.
Mette Summers, Rehoming Manager at the branch (pictured), said: “We worked with Nelson as he obviously had anxiety issues from what had happened to him before. He had lived in fear and had never known the real world, so noises would scare him but he loved people – he just needed a moment to know them – and he was good with other dogs.
