His plight tugged at the heartstrings of dog lovers all over the country when rescuers discovered an abandoned puppy who was suffering from almost 100 gun shot wounds

The dog was just about six months old when he was reported as a stray to Friends of Rescue in Derry and the charity volunteers were horrified to discover his coat was hiding severe injuries and starvation. They called him Darragh and started him on the road to recovery.

And today, almost two months on the Belgian shepherd has made a remarkable recovery is ready to find his forever home.

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A spokesperson for the charity said: "Our handsome Darragh is now fully recovered and ready to find his own family.

"Darragh was found cowering at the side of the road at only six months old unable to move. When we got him to safety we realised he was covered in wounds but under his heavy coat it was difficult to see.

"We had to shave him right down and then it was discovered that Darragh had been shot. There were more than 90 pellets in his body that we could clearly see in his X-ray and he has had a few surgeries since to remove the ones that could be safely reached.

"He was emaciated when he arrived, weighing just 12.8kg, but now weighing a fabulous 24kg he is looking so well - in fact he is well enough that he has been signed off by our vet as a healthy boy, so he is ready for adoption."

The team say Darragh is understandably shy and nervous about meeting new people and facing new experiences, but he comes round with patience and understanding as he has with his foster family.

And his new family will need to work with him to allow him to blossom at his own pace and work on his confidence with gentle reassurance and guidance

A spokesperson said: "Once he's comfortable you will see he is an absolute sweetheart and an absolute eejit. He loves curling up on the sofa when he's not trying to play with a toy or lick you to get a pet.

"Many people mistake Darragh for a Dutch shepherd because of his shorter hair, but he had been shaved and now its slowly growing back. Darragh is actually a Belgian shepherd so he will have long flowing hair and be stunning.

He doesnt like being alone, although crate trained he likes to know youre there, so no long working hours

He can live with cats

He will need a few meetings with any dog in the home

No kids under 10

Suzanne Fleming from the charity said: "His recovery is incredible and he is such a lovely boy. Darragh deserves a fantastic forever loving home and we hope to secure that for him as soon as possible. In the meantime he is in foster care where he is treated as family and loved 100%.

"Sadly he is not the only dog who needs out help and we are working at full capacity with vet bills mounting and the stream of animals in need of urgent care increasing daily.

"But while we continue to pick up after other peoples possessions we will always have to ask for help, so we hope you hear our plea. We simply cannot keep taking in any more animals without getting our vets bills down."

Darragh was found near stables close to Lenamore Rd, Co Derry. He was taken to a foster home for triage where his wounds were examined and then on to VetsForPets in Crescent Link, Derry, where he had about 90 lead pellets removed from his body, including 50 from around his neck.

Darragh's treatment and rehabilitation, feeding and medical costs were added to the most recent list of animals in need at Friends of rescue.

And dogs like Darragh need long term care, fostering and then a search for the right home to adopt him with costs rising daily.

Suzanne said: "Rescuing animals is heart breaking and it doesn't get easier. This poor pup was found lying alone near a stables in Co Derry, he had been left to die. Darragh didn't deserve this, no animal does. But he had no voice and so it's up to rescues like us to set in to protect the vulnerable, the ones who need us most and Darragh is the prime example of why we do what we do."

Darragh was discovered by a man who was out hacking on his horse, who spotted the dark bundle in the undergrowth and discovered it was a young dog who was lying motionless.

He called the Friends of Rescue for help and they discovered the dog had suffered around 100 injuries from lead pellet blasts.

Darragh's timeline

Suzanne said: We would also like to say a massive thank to everyone who has helped in any way towards Darragh's medical treatment, recovery and rehabilitation and to @filo for Darraghs Box of Love. To say he loved it was an understatement.

"Darragh is just one of the animals who has had extensive treatment in his time with us, and we cant continue our work without the generosity of the public.

If you would like to help Friends of rescue as they continue to help abused, abandoned and neglected animals, you can donate to them via Vets4Pets Crescent Link in person or via phone on 02871314420 or visit the charity's Paypal account by clicking here.

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Shot with 90 pellets and abandoned, but today Derry dog Darragh is ready for loving home - Belfast Live