We have to admit, some people don’t deserve to have dogs. They are too heartless that they would dare hurt an innocent and defenseless animal. This is exactly what happened to am an English bull terrier named Eric.

When Liz Haslam who lives in Barnham, Norfolk, and who also owns the Beds for Bullies dog rehoming center learned about Eric back in March 2015, she knew that she had to do something to help him. A friend contacted her and told her about Eric. She helped raise a total amount of £2,500 to get him everything that needed to be processed to bring him to the UK.”

When Liz started the process of adopting Eric, she noticed that the inside of his mouth was swelling. They thought that Eric had been involved in dogfighting the time he was rescued. She initially thought that the swelling was an abscess, but the doctor from Swayne and Partners vets thought otherwise. And when the X-ray results came back, Liz was horrified by what she discovered.

Fifty lead pellets were embedded underneath his skin and some became lodged into his bone. The injuries left Eric in such a terrible state. He almost got blind and was believed that it was caused by the blast.

Liz explained, “His life in Turkey must have been truly horrific; I try not to think about it. He must have taken the full blast by the way the pellets have hit his face. It is a wonder it didn’t kill him straight away or he didn’t die from septicemia from the filthy conditions he was living in. It breaks my heart to think what he’s been through but I can’t allow that to tug on my heartstrings because I have to get on with looking after him.”

She added, “If I did I would live in the past and I have to move forward. Sometimes I sit up awake at one or two or three o’clock in the morning and it concerns me but I have to put it in a box at the back of my mind and get on with looking after my dogs.”

Since Eric arrived in the UK, Liz has given him the best possible life that he deserved. Despite the fact that Erics’ sight has deteriorated to an almost ‘complete’ blindness, Liz is still happy that he was given another chance to live a normal life with a family that would love and cares for him unconditionally.

Liz is one of those people who do not hesitate to take dogs that have been mistreated. She said that all of the dogs under her care got issues. In fact, all of them are rescue dogs. She said, “I live for my dogs and do everything I can for them. All the money is spent on them and I don’t get a penny. I’m happy for people to donate to the vets directly so they can be sure where the money is going.”

It is sad to think that some people treat animals so badly that they will end up with injuries or deteriorating health. But thanks to people like Liz Haslam, dogs like Eric will have another chance to live a happy and contented life.