An adorable dog with a backwards paw has spent four years desperately searching for a home.
Johan, who spent his puppyhood living on the streets in Romania, suffered nerve damage after being hit by a car.
His rear foot twisted and despite undergoing intensive physiotherapy, poor Johan will never be able to properly walk on it.
Shortly after his accident, the mixed breed was taken in by Barking Mad Dog Rescue, who work to rehome Romanian kill shelter dogs to the UK.
Set up in 2013, the rescue has rehomed more than 1,000 dogs and continues to feed about 650 dogs every single day across their shelters.
Hilary Anderson of Barking Mad Dog Rescue said: “Johan has really not had much luck. He has only really known shelter life.
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“We do have a very rigorous rehoming process which looks for previous robust rescue experience and another dog to lean on in the home for a dog like this lad.
“Our foster homes are full up all the time so we need to make sure both our dogs and adopters are set up for success.
“We don’t have kennels in the UK and rely on our wonderful foster carers to step in if the dog is rejected, which is rare but sadly can happen.”
Johan has been described as a "happy dog" who enjoys spending time with other friendly animals.
Luckily for him, he doesn’t seem to notice his impairment and tries to run around and chase after his four-legged friends.
Hilary added: "The surgeon has said he needs this leg for balance and that it should not be amputated.
“Johan is happy in his pen with his pals in the shelter. He is around 50cms to the shoulder.
“Johan would need an experienced home with another friendly dog from whom he can gain confidence.”
Hilary, from Scotland, launched Barking Mad Dog Rescue after rescuing her dog Pixie following a Facebook appeal.
She said: “Pixie lived in a park in Bucharest, with her mum, brother and six other dogs.
“They were fed, vaccinated and neutered by a woman who wanted to help the park strays.
“The pack survived the best way they could. Winters were harsh. Their guardian built them a kennel and locals smashed it to pieces.”
But their lives changed in 2013 when new laws came in ordering strays to be rounded up and killed.
“Pixie, like many others, found herself in a privately-owned shelter.
"Although safe from the dog catchers, Pixie had lost everything else - her freedom and her life. She stopped eating and couldn’t get used to life behind bars.
”In desperation, the woman who had cared for Pixie in the park posted her on Facebook asking for someone to take her away from Romania and give her the home she deserved.”
Hilary answered this plea and ended up adopting Pixie alongside two other dogs, Elsa and Kirsty, before starting up her own rescue.
The Barking Mad Dog Rescue team now return to Romania every two months to visit their own shelters in Constanta.
If you're interested in rehoming Johan, or any other dogs under Barking Mad Dog Rescue's care, submit an application through their website www.barkingmaddogrescue.co.uk.
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