Toy cart helps Penelope Pitstop get back in the race

A little dog who suffered horrific injuries, including a broken pelvis and broken back legs, has got back on her feet thanks to the aid of a toy cart.

Discovered dying on the side of the road in Southill in Limerick, the Jack Russell Chihuahua crossbreed was rescued by a local man who brought her to Limerick Animal Welfare (LAW).

Now, the two-year-old canine is running rings around her carers after they provided her with a €10 toy sand trailer purchased in Tesco.

Staff at LAW have named her Penelope Pitstop.

Ciara Walsh, of LAW, said, when the dog was found, “she was whimpering. She had a broken pelvis, broken back legs, hernia and was covered in bite wounds.”

It’s believed the dog was knocked down by a car and then attacked by another dog.

After her first surgery, Ms Walsh collected the dog and brought her back to her own home.

“They (vets) said she wasn’t to move around at all, but she kept trying to stand up and struggle and walk around the place.”

She brought the dog to LAW’s sanctuary in Kilfinane, and at work one day remembered a toy she saw in her local Tesco store.

“It’s a sand cart costing €10. I got the idea from watching her trying to crawl around. She would kind of get up on one leg at the back and then fall over. It was awful watching her.

“I think she’s going to lose a wheel soon if she doesn’t slow down a bit. I will need to get her new wheels.”