A heroic puppy who cheated death when he was found abandoned on a rubbish tip could win a bravery award after saving his owner's life.
uncertain
he → cheat → life
Mouse, a white lurcher, was just six weeks old when he was discovered fighting for his life after swallowing plastic netting.
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he → discover → netting
Vets feared he would die and they had arranged to have him put down – but the puppy refused to give up.
He made an extraordinary recovery after being looked after by his owner, former veterinary nurse Tracey Ison.
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He → fear → owner
Mouse is now tipped to win a bravery award after saving her life when he confronted a violent thug who randomly threatened and began shoving Ms Ison's husband when the couple went out for a walk.
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couple → tip → walk
The lurcher had been terrified of strangers since he was saved but stood between the man and his owners, barking furiously until the aggressor backed off.
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aggressor → terrify → man
The thug then threatened to return with a baseball bat, prompting the family to flee.
Ms Ison, 56, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, said: 'Mouse was frightened too.
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Mouse → threaten → Hinckley
He has always been nervous around strangers, and the man's behaviour terrified him.
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behaviour → terrify → him
Mouse is tipped to win a bravery award after saving his owner Tracey Ison's life
He cheated death after defying the odds and surviving after swalling plastic netting, despite vets' fears he would need to be put down
Mouse, pictured here was a puppy, was discovered with his two sisters on a rubbish tip at just six weeks old
'
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he → tip → tip
But instead of retreating, our skinny, clumsy young puppy put himself between us and the stranger.
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puppy → retreat → us
Mouse barked and barked until eventually the man backed away.
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man → bark → ?
'What has always stayed with me is that Mouse wasn't fearless that day.
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Mouse → stay → me
And he still stood in front of us.
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he → stand → us
Mouse has now been shortlisted for a Burns Bravery Award at a glitzy bash hosted by Strictly Come Dancing icon Karen Hauer and launched by healthy dog food firm Burns Pet Nutrition.
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Mouse → shortlist → Nutrition
Brave dogs and their owners from across the country will be attending the event at the Woolwich Works in London on Tuesday, November 3.
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dogs → attend → Tuesday
But Mouse's extraordinary bravery wasn't the only way he helped Ms Ison.
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he → help → Ison
She credits him with helping her overcome a devastating mental health crisis that had left her struggling to rebuild her life after walking away from a 25-year career as a veterinary nurse.
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that → credit → nurse
His remarkable story began in May 2019 when he and his two sisters, Demi and Twiggy, were discovered abandoned on a rubbish dump at Billing Aquadrome, Northamptonshire.
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he → begin → Aquadrome
The puppies were believed to be around six weeks old and all three were desperately unwell.
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three → believe → ?
Mouse made an extraordinary recovery after being looked after by his owner Ms Ison, a former veterinary nurse
Mouse can now walk most dogs without reacting and has even made a handful of canine friends
He confronted a violent thug who randomly threatened and began shoving Ms Ison's husband when the couple went out for a walk
However Mouse cheated death after he recovered from swallowing the plastic netting.
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he → make → netting
The woman who initially found the puppies took them home, but Mouse was kept separately in a cat carrier where he spent a prolonged period lying in his own waste.
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he → find → waste
Eventually, the trio were handed over to East Midlands Dog Rescue in Enderby, Leicestershire, where Mouse's condition sparked immediate concern.
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condition → hand → concern
He was rushed to the vets, where blood tests, X-rays and exploratory surgery revealed he had swallowed orange plastic netting.
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he → rush → netting
Surgeons removed the obstruction but the desperately ill puppy failed to improve.
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puppy → remove → obstruction
He refused to eat or drink and became so weak he needed intravenous fluids to keep him alive.
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he → refuse → him
Vets considered fitting a feeding tube but feared he was too frail to survive the procedure.
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he → consider → procedure
With little hope left, Mouse was returned to the rescue centre so he could spend what were expected to be his final days somewhere safe and loved.
uncertain
what → leave → centre
Ms Ison recalled: 'I will never forget something Sandy, the founder of East Midlands Dog Rescue, said during those days.
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Sandy → recall → days
'If this was going to be Mouse's last day on earth, she wanted him to feel the sun on his back.
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him → go → back
'
Several appointments were arranged for Mouse to be put to sleep, but each time his rescuers hesitated.
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rescuers → arrange → sleep
Ms Ison said: 'There was something in his eyes that seemed to say he hadn't finished fighting.'
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he → say → eyes
It was around this time that Ms Ison, who had recently quit her career after suffering severe burnout, began volunteering at the rescue centre.
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who → quit → centre
She had worked as a veterinary nurse for around 25 years, but years of workplace stress, bullying and compassion fatigue had taken a devastating toll on her mental health.
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years → work → health
Eventually, she reached breaking point and walked away from the profession she loved.
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she → reach → profession
Ms Ison said: 'It wasn't simply my job; caring for animals had been an enormous part of my identity.
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caring → say → identity
Mouse has been shortlisted for a Burns Bravery Award at a glitzy bash hosted by Strictly Come Dancing icon Karen Hauer and launched by healthy dog food firm Burns Pet Nutrition
Ms Ison began volunteering at East Midlands Dog Rescue, where she had worked closely with staff for many years and then met Mouse
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she → shortlist → Mouse
She started cleaning kennels, looking after the animals and rediscovering the simple pleasure of caring for dogs who asked nothing of her other than kindness
'
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who → start → kindness
But after changes at the veterinary practice where I had spent much of my career, the working environment became incredibly stressful.
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environment → spend → career
'Combined with bullying and years of compassion fatigue, I became completely burnt out.
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I → combine → fatigue
Eventually, I reached the point where I simply couldn't carry on.
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I → reach → point
I walked away.
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I → walk → ?
…and 63 more, not listed.
The Aporia
