Injured dog crawled for a week along busy motorway on broken legs

A little dog has endured a remarkable tale of survival and endurance after crawling along a busy motorway for at least a week on broken legs.

The courageous mongrel was spotted twice in the space of seven days – at distances 11km apart – leaving a trail of blood behind him as he dragged his limp body along.

It is not clear how he became injured and it is likely he was hit by a car – or even cruelly thrown from a moving vehicle – and was trying to make his way back home.

He was first seen by a lorry driver 17km along the Novotroitskoye motorway from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East. When the same trucker returned on the same route a week later he again saw the animal fighting its way through a blizzard, this time at the 6km mark.

After the intervention of an animal charity, the dog was rescued and transferred to a veterinary clinic where eight-hour-long emergency surgery was carried out on Thursday.

Now named Pirate he is recovering from his ordeal, but vets have made an appeal for a kind-hearted dog lover to come forward to give him a home to help his rehabilitation. And once he is back on his own four paws, it is hoped he can find a permanent home.

Valeria, a volunteer with the Hot Hearts foundation that rescued Pirate, said the dog’s injuries were extensive.

She said: 'He had serious problems with his pelvis, but his spine was intact. His paws were limp and hanging and he had an open fracture on one of them.

'He was covered in blood, and Pirate had terrible fractures. When we did X-rays it was necessary to put him on his back and pull his paws straight. When we started to do it, we heard a crunch as if they were dry twigs.

'The surgeon took his bones and put them together piece-by-piece, as if it were a puzzle, if I can compare it to that. He then put in support spokes and a cast.'

Valeria, who was by the dog’s bedside during surgery, added: 'Most likely Pirate was hit by a car and was thrown by the impact, and then somebody hit him for a second time.'

The dog was first seen by the roadside last week by trucker Aleksey who was driving from Blagoveshchensk. He said it was clear the animal was in great distress, but said he did not have any opportunity to stop and help.

The driver said: 'I noticed a dog near the turn to the cemetery at the 17th kilometre mark. Its hind legs were injured, but the dog was desperately trying to fight for life - crawling slowly.

'When I was on my way back, I did not see the dog. But yesterday I drove again from Blagoveshchensk and at the sixth kilometre of the motorway I saw him once more.

'In a week - in a snowstorm and blizzard - he crawled about 10 kilometres or more. I stopped and tried to feed him, but the dog was afraid and tried to crawl away. I decided not to torture it and try to approach closer than three metres.'

He added: 'It was as if the dog knew exactly what it wanted – to crawl towards Blagoveshchensk, towards people.'

It is thought the dog crawled about 200metres a day during the daytime, leaving a trail of blood, and then at night hid in trees beside a ditch to the side of the road.

The trucker said he did ask veterinary clinics to help the dog but they at first refused. He said: 'They could not pick it up and they said that, most likely, the dog would not survive. But how so? That dog so wanted to live.'

Eventually news about the injured dog filtered through to the Hot Hearts foundation and volunteers mounted a rescue mission, carrying him to a clinic.

A number of people came forward to donate money to help, with 120,000 roubles (£1,400) raised in a relief fund to pay for Pirate’s surgery. While he slowly overcomes the effects of his treatment, the dog is still only drinking water.

But it is hoped he can make a full recovery, but the foundation is seeking a temporary owner for Pirate and a comfortable, warm, home in which he can rehabilitate.