‘He was a special boy’ – Great Dane Arthur dies after being dumped in park

A Great Dane which was rescued after being dumped in a park has now died.

Five-year-old Arthur had to be put down by staff at The Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home (CDCH) after his arthritis and general condition worsened.

The animal rescue charity had taken Arthur in after he was found underweight and struggling to walk after being left in a park.

On the charity’s website, a statement reads: "Arthur was a such special boy, with a massive personality, who in his short time with CDCH touched the lives of everyone he met.

"We will miss our big boy’s slobbery kisses and hairy cuddles more than we can say.

"Although we knew when Arthur arrived with us that his prognosis wasn’t good, we had hoped that we would be able to find him a lovely home to spend his final months.

"While his general condition had improved, managing the pain caused by his arthritis had become increasingly difficult to control.

"At 70kg with no muscle mass he was finding it very difficult and painful to support his own body weight and on the advice of our veterinary team we made the very sad decision to say goodbye to our big boy."

The RSPCA believed Arthur was deliberately abandoned by his previous owner and ended up contracting infections while lying on hard surfaces for long periods of time.

The Cotswolds Dogs and Cats Home were inundated with donations and support when they took in Arthur in March this year after appealing for funds.

The charity’s target of raising £400 per month to care for him was eclipsed within days of the appeal owing to the generosity of people who read about his story.

The charity have now set up a memorial for Arthur which includes a fundraiser to support other animals in need of extra care and the total has already passed £1400 in a day.

The link to Arthur’s Legacy can be found here.

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