A COTSWOLD woman is on a mission to rescue a stray dog she found while on holiday.

Ann Jenkins, 52, of Somerford Keynes, recently returned from a holiday in Cape Verde but spent most of her holiday at the vets after taking pity on a black Dobermann who was seen collapsed and starving on the islands.

She is now hoping to bring home the dog called ‘Rushton’, named after a dog rescue charity that will be saving it.

Ann said: “I found the dog outside our hotel collapsed in the sand dunes. It was covered in ticks and fleas and it was seriously underweight.

“It had been surviving on scraps given to it by the hotel guests but it was barely surviving. In the 30 degree heat, it had no water and was very dehydrated.

“Cape Verde has a lot of stray malnourished dogs but this one was an outcast from the rest of the pack and was clearly very vulnerable.

“It was also incredibly friendly and I had the sense that it was an abandoned pet.

“I felt I could not leave it there and contacted a charity in England for help.

“Cindi McNeil Regan, the founder of the Rushton Dog Rescue told me she would help me bring and rehome the dog in England if I could get it to a vet and a shelter where it could be looked after for a quarantine period.

“Luckily, my husband and I found the Cape Verde charity OSPA who also agreed to help.

“We took the dog into the nearest city and paid for life saving treatment and it is currently being looked after in the charity's shelter awaiting paperwork and blood tests.

“Hopefully it will arrive in England in the spring. The dog will have all the treatment it needs, be assessed and have a five-star home.”

Ann is looking to raise £1,500 to bring Rushton to England. She will be personally covering kennelling fees and any money raised above the target will be donated to Rushton Dog Rescue.

To support Ann, go to: www.gofundme.com/bring-rushton-home