Milo was just six months old when he was brought to Battersea’s London centre. In his short life up until that point, he had already had his ears cropped and tail docked – both of which have been illegal practices in the UK for some time.
Not only had the young Dobermann clearly been through a great ordeal in his short life, he was also continuing to suffer as a result of the procedure on his ears. Upon assessing them more closely, our expert veterinary team were shocked to discover that, to mutilate his ears in order to create the ‘desired aesthetic’, cotton thread rather than surgical stitches had been used to sew his wounded ears closed.
Further, the person who had done the procedure had neglected to ever remove the stitches, leading to his unclean skin healing over the thread. Thankfully, Battersea vets were able to repair the damage on site.
Like many younger dogs, Milo initially had some difficulty adjusting to kennel life. Still navigating adolescence, the Battersea team devoted time to teaching him manners and built positive training foundations – all of which would help him grow into the lovely, well-rounded pet they knew he could be once settled.
Despite his difficult start to life and training needs, Milo came on leaps and bounds during his time on site and quickly proved to be a happy, friendly young dog. He’s since gone on to a loving new home in Kent where he is “well and truly part of the family” and enjoys the company of his ‘brother’ and role model - a fellow Dobermann.