A lecturer at Reaseheath College is appealing to all local animal lovers to assist a young abandoned dog that desperately needs two operations to replace painful knee joints.

Emma Caskie, a lecturer in animal management, was asked to become involved in the care of the stray renamed Tilly after she was found in Crewe during the Christmas holidays and taken to Nantwich Veterinary Hospital where staff cared for her while a rescue space was found.

Emma said: “After an appeal to find Tilly’s owner, and being aware that I work alongside an animal rescue called Friends of the Animals Wales fostering rescued dogs until a forever home can be found, the surgery reached out to me to ask if I could take Tilly.

"She hadn’t been with me for long when we noticed that as she was running with my dogs she was clearly in some discomfort.

"After consultation at Nantwich Vets we had the diagnosis that both of Tilly’s knees were unstable and her Patella are slipping out of place causing her a lot of pain.

"We’ll never know if this is the reason that she was abandoned but it could be a likely answer why such a lovely dog was turned out to fend for herself.

"These operations will leave Tilly pain free and transform Tilly’s quality of life. It’s expected that after proper rest she will go on to enjoy a full Terrier life and find a loving new home."

Emma has opened a fund raising page via the FundRazr crowd funding page specifically for Tilly to allow local animal lovers to help where they can, while her students at Reaseheath are also helping to raise awareness and will be selling homemade dog toys and treats at the Lambing weekends at the college to raise funds towards her treatment. Tilly’s first operation is scheduled for today with a second operation to be carried out as soon as Tilly has recovered sufficiently from the first.

visit www.fundrazr.com and search New Knees For Tilly