AN INVERKEITHING couple have travelled over 400 miles to adopt a rescue dog from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s London centre.

Michelle and Brad George made the five hour train journey to give a home to a 10-months-old mongrel called Mouse.

The stray had a rough start to life and was was severely underweight, with deformed back legs, when she was brought into Battersea in December.

The veterinary team spent five months treating her, putting a pin in one of her legs to help her walk, giving her dental surgery and treatment for a hernia.

Happily, Mouse has now recovered and is enjoying life with her new family.

And it's not the first time Michelle and Brad have adopted a Battersea dog that’s been in desperate need of a second chance.

Back in January 2012, they travelled south to adopt Hugo, a four-months-old Staffie cross who had been part an unwanted litter that were all suffering from severe mange.

Hugo sadly passed away in January of this year and Michelle said losing him was so hard they initially didn’t know if they would ever adopt a dog again.

This all changed when she began working from home and found she was in need of some company.

Michelle said: “Deciding where to look for a new dog was an easy decision, Battersea is the only place we would go to now.

"We want to give these dogs a good upbringing and we have a lot of time to give – so why not choose a dog that needs us most?”

Battersea is appealing to the public to choose to rehome a rescue dog or cat as it reveals a growing number of people are turning their backs on homeless animals – and logging onto the internet to find a new pet instead.

The charity currently has many dogs, like Mouse, looking for a second chance with a new family. For more information, visit www.battersea.org.uk.