Dom the dog is a pup looking for pounds. He needs funding to help him find a new home.

Dom was found by Sarah Stock in December, emaciated and injured, on the streets of the Caribbean island nation of Dominica.

The one dog rescue centre there was full and unable to help, so Sarah contacted her friend Rachael Welch who runs Dogs Walk This Way Rescue in Surrey.

The rescue centre does not usually support overseas dogs but agreed to pay for some vet care. He had an old injury which meant he could not walk properly, but once he had recovered, the two options were to release him back to where he was found near a busy, dangerous road, or bring him back to the UK.

Rachael said: “We couldn’t stand back and not help. If we had left his there he would probably have died, and because he’s such a calm-natured and friendly boy we felt he would do well here in the UK. It was clear to see the trust built by Sarah within a short space of time.

“He was initially wary but within a few days he was really happy to see her and her daughter every day and wanted to spend time with them.”

Sarah managed to find a private foster home in Dominica and she and Dogs Walk This Way Rescue funded this and his vet care, all of which has cost around £2,000. However, it will cost at least another £4,000 to fly him to the UK with all his paperwork.

Rachael said: “We now desperately need to raise funds to bring him to the UK for a better life where he will never need to worry about where his next meal is coming from.”

The process of bringing a dog to the UK is complicated, lengthy and pricey. Not all airlines or airports can take them, and Dominica is a country for which the UK demands a Great Britain pet health certificate from an official vet with government authorisation.

Dom will also need to be microchipped and have a rabies vaccination and a rabies blood test. The blood test must be at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and three months before travelling. Between one and five days before his flight he will need tapeworm treatment.

Rachael said Dom was expected to be ready to come to the country around June. One here, Sarah will foster him as he adjusts to UK life and then he will be put up for adoption through Dogs Walk This Way Rescue.

Rachael said: “We are looking at around £4,000, without the money we have already spent. Yes, it’s a lot but he deserves a chance at happiness. The vet reckons he’s only around three years old.”

The charity has launched a fundraising page which can be found by visiting www.gofundme.com and searching for ‘Bring Dom to the UK’. Rachael concluded: “Please get behind this cause and donate and share. We and Dom need you.”