Puppy dumped at Stinkpot Alley gets a forever home

Nine-week-old Dibble has comfortably settled into his new forever home with receptionist and dog trainer Helen Vickery.

He has been swiftly recovering from a traumatic start in life thanks to the help of the vets and nurses at Pet Practice Vets in Salisbury.

Dibble wears a jumper and his paws are bandaged. (Image: Salisbury Journal)

When Dibble first arrived at the practice, on January 31, receptionist Helen couldn't touch him due to the risk of spreading an infectious disease. 

However, when the opportunity arose to take him home on Thursday, February 2, and look after him Helen simply couldn't say no.

Read more: Two puppies found dumped in a cardboard box at Stinkpot Alley

Helen said: "I sent my husband [Matt] a picture and he said we'll have him.

"Dibble was quite quiet at the start. He'd wake up, go to the toilet, eat, drink then sleep. Over the past few days, he's become much more lively."

Watch Dibble playing with his toy at the vet

Dibble comes into the practice every day and has his infected paws cleaned and rebandaged every other day but they are healing well.

He is still too weak to be vaccinated so Helen keeps him in a pouch while at work and he can often be seen asleep with his bandaged paws sticking up in the air.

"He didn't want to be in the pouch, he wanted to be running around. Last night he was running around and having a ball, he's like a completely different dog," Helen added.

See more: ​Man pleads not guilty after car crashed into River Avon, Salisbury

Despite his mistreatment, Dibble's temperament is "loving, cheeky and he melts everyone's hearts".

"He's so forgiving. He almost died but to love and trust people so much is just the amazing thing about dogs," Helen said.

Dibble has had surgery on his tail but has been recovering well. (Image: Salisbury Journal)

The couple decided to name their new puppy after Officer Dibble from the cartoon series Top Cat.

He is in a key stage where socialisation is important so Helen has been balancing this with keeping him safe.

Taking Dibble out and about in Salisbury has been "astonishing" and Helen said she has been stopped in the street by people who recognise him.

Helen has launched social media pages to track Dibble's progress (click here to view) and she's now looking to get a local pet shop on board to sponsor his treatments.

She hopes to take him on an adventurous holiday to Scotland in April with her other five dogs.

Nurses Mia Hulland-Banks, Holly Prince, Imogen Edgar, Carrie Dyson, Maegan Hendry, and Fiona Lee have worked around the clock to build Dibble up into a healthy, hungry puppy.