He’s had a truly terrible start in life.

When Dog Action Welfare volunteers discovered an emaciated five-month-old puppy in the undergrowth last week, he was too weak and scared to walk.

Over the past few days, the bedraggled dumped pup has been given a new lease of life and a brand new name… and the transformation is truly incredible.

Meet Basil: an Easter miracle who survived his terrible abuse and is looking for a loving home.

Basil is now getting used to life in safety. His ginger and white coat is clean and, with regular meals, his skeletal frame is beginning to look healthier.

Key to Basil’s recovery has been Sadie, a lurcher who currently lives at the foster home they share.

According to DAWG, Sadie is ‘brilliant with every dog she meets’ and helping Basil to gain the confidence he needs after such a horrible start to his young life.

‘Basil is still very scared and still has the emotional scars of being abused. Those scars will take longer to heal.

‘Once again we call on our great supporter to help us continue to help dogs like him. We are still receiving so many calls for help and are constantly seeing cruelty cases.’

If you think you might be able to give Basil his forever home, click here or call 083 171 4307. Homechecks are carried out to ensure that every Cork DAWG resident goes to a suitable home. To donate to DAWG, click here.