Affectionate ‘Pooch’, the Staffordshire bull terrier-cross, has had a rough start to life and the RSPCA is desperate to find him the happy ever after home he deserves.

Pooch has refused to let his blindness get him down – and the cruelty he has experienced certainly hasn’t put him off people. He loves people and seeks only a quiet home with a loving family to make his life complete.

The 10-year-old had to have one eye removed. His eye had erupted and swollen after his owner failed to seek treatment for a congenital condition for a number of years.

When he came into the RSPCA’s Block Fen Animal Centre, in March, Cambridgeshire, Pooch’s eyeball looked ready to pop out. Vets had to remove the eye immediately and tried treatment for his other eye. Sadly, the treatment wasn’t able to control the severity of condition and staff took the decision to remove that one too.

Inspector Justin Stubbs, who investigated Pooch’s case, said: “He was in a terrible state when he came into us, his eye looked horrendous.

“Poor Pooch was left suffering from what must have been an extremely painful and uncomfortable eye condition.”

Despite all he’s been through, Pooch is still very loving and affectionate towards people and is desperate to find a very special owner to spend his final years with. Following months of treatment and care from RSPCA staff, he is now responding well to treatment and is up for rehoming.

Kirstyn Gaunt, deputy manager at Block Fen, said: “Pooch is a wonderful boy. He is a pleasure to spend time with and his favourite thing is being around people.

“He is very loving and loves everyone he meets. He greets all our staff, each morning, with pricked ears and a waggy tail!

“Because he has lost his eyes, he will need a very calm and quiet household. He will need time to learn his way around his new surrounding as he relies on his hearing and sense of smell since he has lost his eyes.

“He is, however, very affectionate and loves cuddling up on someone’s lap, enjoys a belly rub, and likes being tickled behind the ears! He will make the right person a wonderful friend and companion.

“Pooch will need regular exercise but isn’t a huge fan of walks, partly due to his blindness, so will need short and steady outings. He loves being out in the sunshine so would enjoy having a new home with a garden he can enjoy.

“His main demand, from his new owner, would be a nice comfy, soft bed in a warm spot to spend most of his day relaxing and snoozing.

“He is a huge food-lover so treats could be a useful way of training him.”

If you could offer Pooch a new home, please call Block Fen on 0300 123 0726.