A PUPPY found abandoned in a drain is turning around the life of a teenager who suffers epilepsy.

Newt the Spanish mastiff knows instinctively what to do when Dru Bascombe, 15, suffers a blackout, even though he isn’t fully trained.

“He was the one who noticed what to do to help me come round. He cuddles me and licks me. He has his own little comfort thing. He’s not really a nervous dog and enjoys cuddles,” she explained.

Newt, now 11 months old, arrived from Spain last summer. He was among a litter of 10 discovered in a drainpipe and taken to a rescue kennel.

Dru, from Pinehurst, has suffered mobility issues for the past six years but recently they have got worse.

After being diagnosed with non-fitting epilepsy following blackouts last year, the family thought a dog might help her cope..

The teen, whose mum Jessie founded SNDogs, said: “I ended up developing non-fitting minor epilepsy and other dogs are too small to help with mobility.

“I was looking for a rescue dog - it was really a rescue dog or nothing. We looked at lots of places. We wanted a dog that wasn’t going to fear things and not an older dog.

The family found him on a Spanish rescue page and he was all set to be brought over to the UK when the pandemic hit. After weeks of delay and a £400 fee he finally arrived last summer.

“He was totally worth it. It was very stressful getting him over here but he settled in perfectly.

“He’s helped me so much, he’s helping me through my mobility issues,” she added. “My right leg and hip stiffens and it can lock which means I collapse."

Newt is learning to act as a counter balance to help her stand up and keep her balanced when she's standing or walking.

“He’s brought a lot of joy to our whole family during lockdown and happiness to all of us.

“My blackouts happen less and I’m less stressed because of him. He brings me round quite easily. And when she suffers a bout of night terrors or sensory overload from bright lights or certain textures he will lie down across her legs or body and lick her cheek.

Dru named Newt after the lead character in one of her favourite films , Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

“I have mental health struggles and struggle getting out,’ she said. " I definitely recommend to people who need someone there to look at getting a dog. Even if you don’t need it, it’s a distraction as someone is always there for you.