Boris the lurcher is recovering after emergency surgery

A Wisbech family has taken in a dog that had to have a leg amputated after it was thrown from the back of a moving van.

A member of the public saw thugs throw two-year-old Boris the lurcher from the back of a white Transit van near Melbourn in Cambridgeshire.

The injured animal was taken to Wood Green Animal Shelter in terrible pain after the incident on December 21.

Specialists at the charity's surgery department in Godmanchester, near Cambridge, decided to remove his back left leg after an X-ray had revealed he had a badly fractured femur.

After the emergency surgery, Boris spent Christmas with the temporary foster family and will stay there until he fully recovers and can be re-homed.

Shelley Wooding, Wood Green's head of animal welfare, said: 'It is extremely sad that Boris, through no fault of his own, was abandoned in such a cruel way before Christmas. We have passed what evidence we have to the RSPCA for further investigation.

'In the meantime we would strongly urge anyone thinking of giving up a pet to contact us for advice and support.

'It is also a reminder that any animal is a long-term commitment and financial burden and any decision to get a new pet should be made carefully with the whole family in mind.'

Anyone with any information is asked to call the RSPCA Cruelty Line on 0300 1234 999.