A dog left tied to a lamp post and cruelly abandoned with a broken leg has made a full recovery and is now enjoying life with his new owners.

The young lurcher was discovered in Aylesham near Canterbury in a terrified and distressed state on a cold, dark night in October last year.

But now after surgery and months of rehabilitation, he has a loving new home.

He was clearly in great pain when found. The Dogs Trust was alerted and took him to a vet and into the care of the RSPCA.

They called him Steve the Stray and he underwent emergency surgery after an X-ray revealed a complete fracture of the long bones of his right foreleg.

Senior RSPCA vet Áine Maguire at the Finsbury Park Animal Hospital, said: “Poor Steve was cowering and terrified when he arrived. He didn’t want to be handled and definitely didn’t want any needles near him.

"I could tell by how he flinched and snarled how much pain he must be in. Time was of the essence if we wanted to avoid having to amputate his leg.”

Thankfully emergency surgery, including two metal plates and a bone graft from Steve’s shoulder, fixed the break.

He stayed in recovery at Finsbury Park for a month then moved to RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre for expert rehabilitation and behavioural therapy, led by behaviour and welfare adviser Jacque Kaye.

"Steve would retreat to the back of his kennel, growling, whenever someone came near,” she said.

“We knew he had deep emotional scars and we’d need to work with him for some time in order to get him ready for adoption.

“It’s always difficult when a dog’s been abandoned because there’s no history.

"We had no idea what Steve’s life had been like or how his leg had been broken.

"He was very wary of people and we didn’t know if he’d always been anxious, or whether it was because of what had happened.

"Why didn’t someone take him to a vet? Every scenario is heartbreaking and this poor dog just hadn’t been cared for."

After a long road to recovery, both physically and mentally to try and grow his confidence, Steve was put up for adoption by the RSPCA in April this year.

"We were all very attached to him and sad to say goodbye,” says Jacque. "But we knew how much he’d grown in confidence and we were thrilled he’d gone to the perfect home."

A retired couple from Purley happily took him in to give him a new life.

“When I spotted Steve online I felt so sad for him,” said new owner Suzi. "I knew that we’d have the time and commitment to give him the right, loving home and continue his training.

"He’s the most loving dog, and full of energy and likes plenty of walks.

"We still need to work on his recall, although now he does at least look when we call him – so we’re getting there!

"But he’s such a gorgeous boy, we’re happy to take it slowly and do whatever he needs.”