A PUPPY abandoned in Cyprus has been saved by a North-East family after they saw images of the sick animal on Facebook.

When Helen Martin found a picture of five disowned dogs on the social networking site of Cypriot charity Protecting Animals Without Shelter, she felt compelled to help.

Her heartstrings were tugged by one of the pack who was suffering from a severe eye infection so she stumped up the £100 adoption fees and the £300 fare to have the hound she named Finlay flown to the UK.

However, the debilitating condition resulted in him going totally blind in one eye which, vets decided, had to be removed.

Ms Martin, from Charltons, near Guisborough, said: “The situation in Cyprus is quite dire for dogs, many are dumped, poisoned or even shot and there are no laws criminalising this so there are so many sad stories.”

In July this year when Finlay was six-months-old he was flown over from Cyprus and house-trained in just two days. Paying a £100 adoption fee and stumping up £300 for the flight was the best thing her family has ever done, she believed.

The mother of two sons aged eight and ten, added: “Having Finlay has completed our family and luckily all of the other puppies and the two older dogs have also been re-homed in the UK.

“He settled in so well, and considering what he has been through I can’t believe how he has adapted to his new life so quickly. We already have a golden retriever called Dug, but have always wanted to adopt a dog and Finlay and Dug became firm friends straightaway.

When his eye infection deteriorated he was taken to White Cross Vets in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough where he was looked after by vet Lizzie Howitt.

“When Finlay was treated for the infection in Cyprus they thought he had some sight left in the eye and could see shadows," Ms Howitt explained.

“However, Finlay was suffering from quite heavy discharge from his eye, blinking a lot and was quite lethargic and quiet.

“When we checked him over and did a series of reflex tests it was clear that he was totally blind in that eye and that the best thing to do would be to remove it to avoid future problems. Following Finlay’s operation he made a full recovery and now at nine months old is a happy, bouncy, healthy dog.”