A SWINDON dog-walker’s Facebook campaign has saved one lucky Staffie from dog death row.

Luke Bartley, 19, from Old Town, pledged to rescue brown and ginger Staffordshire bull terrier Penfold, who was condemned to death after reaching his legal time limit in council kennels.

The two-year-old dog was picked up as a stray in Park North six weeks ago and has since struggled to find a forever home.

Luke, who runs pet business Walks with Paws, first encountered Penfold through his work with furry friends and the pair formed a connection.

“As soon as I saw him I fell in love and I wanted to help,” he said.

“I think because I have a Staffie myself it touched me, so I wanted to do something about it and save his life. Swindon council is very good because it will do everything possible to ensure a dog doesn’t get put down, usually a dog will only get seven days from when they are brought in. 

“It couldn’t find Penfold’s owners and there were no rescue spaces available, so his put-to-sleep date was set and he had until the end of the week.”

As a last resort, the kind-hearted dog walker harnessed the power of social media to get the funds to secure the playful pooch a space in a rescue home.

“At first I said I would pay for his board and I contacted every rescue home I could think of, but hardly anyone responded and I told the council not to put him down because one way or the other I would get the money to save him,” Luke said.

Penfold was given an 11th-hour reprieve when the fundraising campaign topped £300 – enough to pay for two weeks’ of boarding. 

Thanks to Luke’s efforts a rescue centre has also expressed interest in taking the sweet Staffie.

And Luke said Penfold had the perfect personality to find a loving home.

“He is bouncy and funny, affectionate and a real character, he’d be a great family pet to have,” he added. 

“It’s time to shed the negative impression people have of staffies and realise what loving amazing animals they are.”

In the UK, one dog is euthanised every 80 minutes and Luke is keen to raise awareness about other animals in precarious situations. He has set up the Penfold’s Rescue project to help get condemned animals into emergency rescue centres and is looking for more volunteers. 

Luke said: “It’s the back street breeders and irresponsible owners who cause dogs to end up in the pound. Microchips are the best way to reunite animals with owners and I would strongly urge all owners of dogs or cats to get them chipped.”

Luke is now offering an animal microchip service for £10 with 25 per cent of proceeds going towards Penfold’s Rescue.

To offer Penfold a home visit penfoldsrescue.wix.com/Swindon or facebook.com/penfoldsrescue