An elderly Romanian dog that lived in a small wooden box for seven years without touching grass or seeing daylight has finally been given a home by an Ashby woman.

Animal lovers were touched by the dog's story and rallied to save her.

The unwanted stray had been in the Adjud public shelter in Moldavia for so long that she had given up eating or going outside, lying listlessly in her small shelter in the dark.

Volunteers had been unable to coax her out of her pen year after year and feared she would die without ever finding a home.

Skye never saw the sunlight while she was in the shelter

But when Gillian Grummitt, who lives near Ashby, heard about the 10-year-old dog's plight on social media through rescue charity Pawprints to Freedom, she offered her a permanent home.

Fellow supporters raised the necessary transport fees in under four hours – which is a record for the charity.

But the old girl still needed a name – and charity representatives contacted the schoolchildren in Year 4 at The District CE Primary School in Merseyside to choose one.

That was after the students raised more than £400 for the charity on their sponsored run.

The students unanimously voted for 'Skye'. 

Skye travelled to the UK earlier this month and now spends her days in comfort with fellow Pawprints rescue dog, Biscuit.

Gillian said: "I'm so proud of the progress she's making.

"She's still very nervous but we're letting her explore on her own terms. She dances for her dinner now." 

Pawprints to Freedom founder, Rebecca Smyth, who started the charity in 2017, said: "We're absolutely delighted that Skye has found her forever home after all this time.

Skye now has a loving home with Gillian

"Our hearts broke when we saw the photos of her in that tiny wooden box - she'd totally given up.

"We're very grateful to everyone who donated toward Skye's transport fees and to Gill for giving her a loving home with a real family."

Pawprints to Freedom primarily operates within Romania, where the charity operates a public shelter that saves dogs from emergency situations, along with a shelter in Cheshire, UK.

Besides rescuing dogs, the organisation also educates local communities about animal welfare and organises spay campaigns to fight the stray dog problem.

To help more dogs like Skye, click HERE.