THE heartwarming tale of a dog that was just 10 minutes from being put to sleep by her previous owner before being rescued by the RSPCA will feature on Channel Five show The Dog Rescuers this week.

RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes was called to a home in Wirral after a member of the public raised concerns about the condition of Reo German Shepherd inside the house.

When he got there, the dog's owner told him that she had a vet appointment in 10 minutes time for the dog to be put to sleep.

On inspection, Anthony saw Reo had large open wounds to her ears, jaw and eye, believed to have been self-inflicted as a result of being scratching at her face because of an ear infection.

But he did not believe she should be put to sleep, so her owner signed her over to the RSPCA's care and Anthony immediately took Reo to a vet to be checked over.

Despite her severe condition, the vet believed that with time she would recover.

Happily, Reo has now made a full recovery and settled into a new home with Martin and Amanda Corrin in Eastham.

Her story will be told in Dog Rescuers on Channel Five tomorrow night. The programme starts at 8pm.

Reflecting on the case, Anthony Joynes said: "Reo had the most horrific ear infection - it was that bad that she was scratching her face. 

"She had a big wound by her ear and had ripped the skin off her bottom jaw.

"Part of her jaw was missing and her wounds were infected. Thankfully we got there in time.

"Tests showed that her ears and ear canals were severely infected and that she should have been seen by a vet at least six weeks earlier.

"The injuries were so bad that it took us weeks and weeks to get her right again, however we took it one day at a time.

"It was one of the saddest things I have ever dealt with. Reo actually squirmed on the floor in agony and she had to be sedated to be examined.

"This was an incredibly serious case of prolonged neglect which left Reo in horrific pain.

"It has been a long road for her but her recovery has been miraculous and today she is a completely different dog."

Reo's previous owner was disqualified from keeping animals for life and sentenced to an 18-week prison sentence suspended for two years, ordered to do 160 hours of unpaid work and to pay £740 costs.

Dog Rescuers is presented by actor, comedian and writer Alan Davies, who said: "The Dog Rescuers goes behind the scenes to see the RSPCA at work rescuing dogs from neglect and abuse.

"It's sad to see dogs suffering but always a joy when they are nursed back to health and find loving new homes."

Reo is one of 8,009 dogs rescued by the RSPCA last year - that’s nearly one every hour.