Starved Angel needs a new home for Christmas

An adorable dog left just "a bag of bones" by cruel owners has piled on the pounds after being rescued by animal lovers. Wide-eyed pooch Angel weighed just 14lbs after being starved and then abandoned by her cruel owners. Vets said Angel was so badly malnourished that she had a "body condition score" of zero.

But Angel was lovingly nursed back to health by volunteers at Cardiff Dogs Home. They are now looking for a new home for Angel who is tipping the scales after doubling her weight. A spokesman for Cardiff Dogs Home said: "You would hardly recognise her as the same dog now.

The RSPCA tried to track down Angel's cruel owners in order to prosecute them for neglect - but they were unable to trace them. Brown and white crossbreed Angel put on six pounds after just six days at the home for abandoned dogs.

They have been putting her through "gentle exercise" to help her build up muscle mass and now weighs around 28 kilos. Angel is now tipping the scales but she still has a little way to go to reach her optimum weight.

"She is going to need to build up some muscle mass, and this is going to take an age of gentle exercise to build her up."