Marley is looking for a new home after he was made to drink wine and smoke cannabis

This dog was forced to drink wine and smoke cannabis by cruel owners.

But now Marley is looking for a new home after a good Samaritan took him to Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre - undoubtedly saving his life.

Freshfields fundraiser Debbie Hughes said: "We don’t know much about his previous home situation, what we do know is this man found out what was going on and he wanted to get Marley out and away from it as soon as possible.

“We were absolutely shocked and appalled to hear what had been happening, that he was forced to smoke marijuana and drink wine. He’d also had something thrown at him while on a walk that had burnt his skin on his chest, but he’s recovering from that already and his fur is starting to grow back. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be fully better very soon.”

The American bulldog, who is just nine months old, was subjected to terrible abuse before being taken to safety by an animal lover who couldn’t bear to see him suffer.

He couldn’t keep the dog himself so turned to the centre for help and Freshfields staff say Marley is now making a tremendous recovery considering the ordeal he has had to endure.

Debbie said: “He’s such a lovely boy and despite all the cruelty he’s experienced he seems to have forgiven human beings for what they’ve done to him.

“He’s been amazingly resilient, it’s a real testament to the spirit of animals. He loves everybody in the kennels and they love him, he’s recognised and responded so well to kindness after being in such an awful situation before.”

Marley, now looking for a new home

Debbie says they have no idea why anyone would treat Marley so heartlessly, but abuse against dogs in particular is sadly not uncommon.

“Some people think it’s amusing to treat animals like this, we have seen this sort of behaviour before, but we don’t let it deter us from doing our job,” she adds. “On the contrary, it spurs us on more to help the animals all we can and we never give up on any of them. We are here for abandoned, abused or unwanted animals and every day at least one more finds its way to our door, many from situations like Marley’s, and then our wonderful staff work round the clock to turn their lives around.”

A week in their care has certainly worked wonders for Marley who, says Debbie, shows no signs of trauma from his experience.

“It takes him about a minute of being suspicious and then he’s jumping all over you and really happy,” she smiles. “He’s a bouncy, loving dog and surprisingly normal after everything that has happened. The sad thing is animals are so trusting, it amazes us that they will always forgive.”

Debbie says Marley is now ready to move on to a new home. “He is good with other dogs and has lived with them in the past when he was with his rescuer. He needs someone who is at home for most of the day as he is still young, and he needs a home with teenage children simply because he is lively and also not used to being around younger kids.

“This innocent, sweet boy has really been through the mill in his young life but we know whoever takes him will find he’s a very loyal friend, he’s the sort of pet every home would want.”

Marley, now looking for a new home

As for the other animals who find their way to Freshfields, Debbie says they always try to promote a message of pet care.

“What we say to people is, if you don’t like animals then please don’t get one. If you do have one, take the responsibility to care for them. We’d like readers to help promote that message because so many people are kind and they know us well because they’ve adopted from us in the past.

“We wouldn’t be where we are without the support of the people of Merseyside. It just takes one person ... one person to do a lot of damage but also one person to save a dog’s life and give it a new home.”

* To see Marley and the other animals wanting adoption, visit www.freshfieldsrescue.org.uk

Story and Photos source: Southport Visiter