TWO dogs rescued after living rough on the streets 1,500 miles apart are now in the safety of North-East homes waiting to be adopted.

Lurcher Ruby and puppy Yogi Bear made very different journeys to the region but now find themselves in the care of volunteers who hope to find them new homes.

Dozens of worried animal lovers and organisations were involved in a search mission to capture Ruby after she was spotted running scared in the Willington area of County Durham, where she is thought to have been dumped around two weeks ago.

Last night (Tuesday) she began following a man down the road and he was able to get hold of her and take her in.

She is now with a foster carer who has fallen in love with the mild mannered pooch and wants to give her a permanent home.

Meanwhile 17 week old Yogi Bear is staying with a foster carer in Bishop Auckland while the charity that rescued him tries to find his ideal new owner.

He was plucked from danger when his mother and a litter of puppies were seen dodging traffic on a main road in Cluj, Romania- a country where five million stray dogs live in appalling conditions.

The lucky ones are rescued and taken in by volunteers who link up with animal charity A Better Life Dog Rescue (ABLDR) to have them vaccinated and placed in new homes across Europe.

Animal behaviourist Christine Kipling, from Bishop Auckland, is looking after Yogi.

She said: “He was living rough and dodging traffic in Romania, when he got to the UK he was shy so ended up with me but he’s blossomed and is doing really well.

“He is beautiful, he’s going to be a large dog, he has huge soft paws and a beautiful face and a lovely nature.”

ABLDR has a strict rehoming procedure to ensure dogs end up with suitable owners, for Yogi that is likely to be with other dogs as he is not used to being alone but not with young children in the household.

Ms Kipling was also involved in the community campaign to rescue Ruby.

The Northern Echo:

She said: “Lots of people saw her and were worried she’d come to harm or cause an accident so rallied round to raise awareness and eventually capture her, thanks to them all.

“Someone reported seeing a couple dump her out of a car so it is unlikely an owner will come forward to claim her and explain.

“The lady that has her at the moment says she is really happy and lovely natured and will happily keep her.”

To enquire about Yogi Bear only contact Ms Kipling on 07894-449580.