A heroic rescue dog has been reunited with the pup whose life he saved.
The "superstar" greyhound donated vital blood to the poorly spaniel in a life-saving emergency transfusion on Christmas Eve.
Now, the doggie duo have met again at Cheshire Dogs Home to celebrate how far they both have come.
Spaniel Ivy-Blu was hours from death when greyhound Tucker came to the rescue and “miraculously” saved her life.
Five-year-old Tucker has since been rewarded for his good deed and has found a forever family, after being one of the home's longest-staying residents.
Though his new owner "didn’t realise at the time that he was also a hero".
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Spaniel Ivy-Blu was taken to the Beech House Veterinary Surgery in Warrington after her mood changed, where she was diagnosed with severe anaemia.
Her heartbroken owner, Shelley Cleaveley, 48, admitted she and her family were preparing themselves for the worst.
“Just before Christmas, we noticed something wasn’t quite right with Ivy,” she said.
“She wasn’t coming to us for food and wasn’t her normal happy-go-lucky self.”
Shelley took Ivy-Blu to the vet, who put her on medication, but a few days later “she just went further downhill”.
“She was really poorly, her tongue and gums were almost white so she was kept in for further observations,” Shelley explained.
“In the run up to Christmas, we just kept getting phone calls telling us her condition was worsening, we were heartbroken thinking we were going to lose her.
"Then on Christmas Eve, we were told her condition was critical and that she needed a blood transfusion."
An emergency call was made to Cheshire Dogs' Home to see if any of its residents could step in and retired racer Tucker was called into action.
The blood transfusion involved taking 400ml of blood from Tucker's neck and piping it slowly into Ivy-Blu while making sure she didn't have any reactions.
Afterwards Tucker was given a bowl of food for his life-saving efforts.
Ivy-Blu was given medication to help with her recovery and is now “getting back to her old self”.
Veterinary surgeon, Kaitlin Turnbull, of the Willows Veterinary Group, said: “It’s a miracle she is still here.
“Tucker was definitely a key worker on Christmas Eve, he’s a superstar.”
Owner Shelley added: “I was amazed to hear how Tucker had given blood and saved Ivy’s life.
“He was a real Christmas hero.
"We can't thank Tucker, Beech House and Cheshire Dogs' Home enough.
"Without such great vets and animal rescue staff, what would we do?"
It seems that five-year-old Tucker has since been rewarded for his good deed by finally finding a forever family, after being one of the home’s longest-staying residents.
New owner Matthew, from Failsworth, said: “We didn’t realise at the time that he was also a hero.”
Ivy-Blu and Tucker have now been reunited at Cheshire Dogs Home with the incredible vet that made it happen, Kaitlin Turnbull.
