Family's thanks after Leeds indie businesses rally around to try and save beloved pet dog

Alfie, a seven-and-a-half year old lurcher, lost the use of his back legs shortly before Christmas due to an illness. He was left suck in bed with no control of his bladder or bowels and unable to walk.

A fundraising page was set up to help his owners to pay for his costly vet visits. The page quickly gained traction and soon owner Kieran Hadley was flooded with offers of gifts and services from local businesses that he could raffle to raise extra money.

Physiotherapists thought he may have a spinal disk injury, but sadly an MRI scan showed at a specialist clinic showed that he had an inoperable tumour on his spine.

Alfie was put to sleep with his family by his side on Wednesday, January 12.

Kieran has now thanked everyone who supported him and helping the family to do their very best for Alfie.

Kieran, 42, from Meanwood, said: "He was ill and we knew we couldn't really afford it being maxed out with Christmas and being self-employed.

"I put a Go Fund Me up but didn't feel entirely comfortable about doing it because we're not destitute, I just couldn't afford to raise all that money.

"A few people I know through work got in touch, Andy at Scrambler23 donated some designs, Mike Connolly from Painted in Frames donated a days photography, BXM Personal Training offered a free training session - people just really like dogs it turns out.

"Once I'd put that up it just became a tidal wave of people offering stuff.

"None of the people that donated are super flush.

"A lot of them are businesses that have been struggling and they were still offering a 20 brunch voucher, a box of brownies, a voucher for a little beer shop, sports massage, whatever people could do they did.

"It was the little tiny things that absolutely broke my heart. Tavasolli's in town were like 'we're not doing that well, but can we just donate two gyros and chips?'

"It was just an absolute outpouring of love, the likes of which I haven't really seen."

Support and raffle donations came in from across West Yorkshire, including brunch vouchers from The Swine That Dines and House Of Koko, a £30 bar tab at Wapentake, a handmade doll from Kelly Whitehead, a case of beer from Kirkstall Brewery and many more.

The support meant the family could take Alfie for further assessments and to try find a diagnosis.

Sign painter Kieran said: "We went for the assessment on Monday and they said without an MRI, they won't know but probably it's likely a problem with his disk crushing his nerve in his spine and he's got a kind of a 50/50 chance of walking again, if we do something

"It was really hard for the kids, Alfie had not being able to walk for two weeks by that point.

"They really loved him."

He added: "When he went under they found that it wasn't a spinal stroke, it was tumour on his spine

"Some people let them come back around and then they all say goodbye before putting them to sleep but I think it was much kinder just to let him stay under the general and do it from there.

"Not that it doesn't hurt or anything, it does, but it really ameliorated it knowing that we'd all done that we could do.

"We had tried rather than just having to give up because we couldn't afford to and it means a lot just knowing how many people kind of chipped in and loved him and tried to help."

Kieran now plans to draw the raffle on Friday, January 14 and donate all remaining money to help other animals like Alfie.

Kieran, a former teacher, said: "Any surplus after existing bills will go to Lurcher Link charity who help to rehome and foster lurchers in Yorkshire.

"We also want to donate some to Frankie, the physiotherapist who visited us, so we can quiet help other people who wouldn't be able to afford their physio bills going forward."

The dad-of-three has thanked the community who got behind him to support Alfie.

He said: "I want to say the biggest thank you.

"It really did mean so much.

"I think it would have would have cut me up so much if we hadn't been able to try and do something.

"It was really just a relentless outpouring of kindness."

Lurcher Link is a charity based in Halifax which acts as a rescue and helps to rehome Lurchers to new families.

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