by Roxanne Blakelock A young puppy escaped the brutal Afghan dog-fighting trade and has ended up in the care of one of London s busiest animal homes. The Mayhew Animal Home, in Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, welcomed Bear – an Afghan war

by Roxanne Blakelock

A young puppy escaped the brutal Afghan dog-fighting trade and has ended up in the care of one of London's busiest animal homes.

The Mayhew Animal Home, in Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, welcomed Bear - an Afghan war dog - to their rescue centre on Monday [9] in order to find him a safe new home.

The international charity, Mayhew International, helped Sgt 'Penny' Farthing, an ex-Marine, in his wish to find Bear new owners to transform his life.

Sgt Farthing said: "I am extremely happy that Bear-dog has now completed his quarantine period and has arrived at The Mayhew.

"It is sad that so many animals are affected by war, especially in Afghanistan and to be able to help just one is a reward in itself and a huge step to highlighting the undocumented suffering that animals in all war zones are subjected to."

The ex-marine runs the charity Nowzad Dogs, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan which he set up after rescuing several dogs from the stricken Afghan war zone when he was a marine there in 2006.

Although Bear has injuries that link him to the dog-fighting trade, he is lucky enough to have escaped relatively unscathed.

However, his ears were severed when he was only a puppy, as preparation for use in fights as he grew.

Dog-fighting is rife in Afghanistan and there are no active agencies which can prevent this brutal blood sport.

Christopher Sainsbury, Mayhew's International Projects Officer, said: "We realise that re-homing all these animals in the UK is not the solution to the problem so will continue to fund and act abroad in order to tackle stray animal management and the associated welfare issues."

If you are interested in adopting Bear, please contact Lisa Guiney, dog adoption officer on 0208 968 2348.

Roxanne.blakelock@archant.co.uk