A KIND-HEARTED animal lover transformed the life of a dog that was to be put down.

Erica Smith, 54, who lives in Hope saved the life of three-year-old Leo who was in a ‘terrible’ state and had been neglected by his previous owners.

As a foster carer for Westie Rescue UK, Erica was contacted in May to look after a dog who had been taken to the vets in Blackpool to be put to sleep.

The Westie had an allergic reaction to something which caused him to scratch until he lost his hair and appeared to be underweight.

She told the Leader: “God knows what happened to him, but he was so angry. The vet refused to put him down because physically, there were no real problems. Physically there was nothing wrong with him but mentally he was a bit disturbed.

“You need to know about these dogs, they do get skin conditions but it is manageable and it’s easy when you know how.

“He was angry, possessive, snappy, no social skills, it was like he had abuse all down the line. He was in a terrible state.

“It’s upsetting, people want a dog for companionship but it’s a commitment.

“He’s lovely, he’s like a different dog now and has got a reputation in our village, he wants to play all the time.”

Leo celebrated his third birthday on October 17 and Erica said without the intervention, he would not have made it to that age.

He was treated with a special shampoo until his hair grew back and had his diet changed so he could gain weight.

The Westie was fostered out to a new family who sent him back to Erica within 36 hours because he was ‘snappy’.

Erica added: “He was sent back to me because he was snappy. He just needed understanding and time. They didn’t give him a chance.

“If you take a dog on, particularly a rescue dog, they are going to have issues but it’s worth it. I decided to keep him because I can’t see him go through that again, he’s too traumatised.”

Erica has been fostering dogs for about nine months, after losing her own dog last year and has fostered seven Westie dogs so far.

Having had to drive as far as Scotland and Newcastle, she said she would drive anywhere to help.

The 54-year-old said: “I have seen all sorts of dogs in all sorts of states.

“If you want to get a dog, try fostering first. You get support from the charity and they support you with the care, then if it doesn’t work out you aren’t abandoning them.

“Christmas is coming up so there will be more abandoned dogs after that. Dogs are for life.

“I think rescue dogs love more because they come from something terrible, it’s wrong. Don’t judge a book by its cover, give them a chance.”