HE CAME to the UK as a puppy with heart-breaking injuries.

But his new Hampshire owner refused to give up on him and has started a campaign to help her courageous dog get new legs.

Courier Sara May, 42, from Southampton is fundraising for her 14-month-old crossbreed Bagdad with the help of Solent Creatives - a creative agency that is part of Southampton Solent University.

The Paws4Bagdad campaign is working to achieve a target of £5,000 to fund a set of prosthetic legs, which are being designed in America.

Bagdad, or Baggy as he is known, came to the UK after being found severely injured in Romania.

He was found with three of his paws missing, and it is believed that these injuries were caused by a human.

After being rescued, he was treated and stabilised before coming to the UK in the hope that he could be fitted with prosthetic legs.

Bagdad was severely underweight when he arrived, and his x-rays showed he also had severe hip dysplasia- the failure of the hip joints to develop normally, which can lead to loss of function.

The diagnosis meant that Bagdad was not a viable candidate for prosthetics, but his owner is determined to solve his mobility issues.

Bagdad’s owner Sara said: “I’ve been rescuing special needs dogs for a few years now.

“It wasn’t a hard decision to take Baggy - he was and is a dog in need and that’s just what I do, as they deserve as much a chance as any other dog.

“In my eyes they are more special, as they have so much fight in them to want to live.

“If a dog fights that hard to overcome such injuries then it’s my job to help them.”

Although in many ways Bagdad is like any other dog, his mobility is restricting his quality of life and often causes him pain.

“Baggy was a terrified mess when he arrived, it took weeks to get him to come out of his crate but now he sees me and his tail wags like mad,” says Sara.

“He’s getting more used to meeting people now and seems to be enjoying all the extra attention, a totally different dog from pitiful skinny Baggy I first laid my eyes on.

“There are so many dogs like him waiting in shelters that everyone overlooks as they don’t want to take on that kind of responsibility or expense but what you get back in trust and affection is priceless.”

Speaking about Solent Creatives, Sara said: “Initially it was my son’s idea, who is studying at Winchester University, to contact Southampton Solent, as they have students studying 3D printing and the idea was to try and find a student to design some feet for Baggy.

“Solent Creatives contacted me offering to help. I can’t thank them enough,”

Campaigner from Solent Creative Rebecca Hamilton added: “This little dog has been through so much in his first year of life.”

Visit http://www.gofundme.com/paws4bagdad to donate.