Dog who never left dead owner’s side is rescued

A faithful dog who lay next to her owner’s undiscovered body for a week has been rescued.

Yolanda Callaghan, 76, died at her home in Swansea in March.

She was only discovered when her neighbor Christie Powell went to check on her after she had not been seen for a while.

And when she peered through the letterbox she saw Ms Callaghan along with eight-year-old toy poodle Poppy cuddling into her.

“The first thing I noticed was a load of unopened mail, which was not a great sign, and then I spotted Yolanda lying on the floor,” said Ms Powell.

“Poppy was actually on top of her, sitting there and looking at us.”

Poppy was found in a “dehydrated and malnourished” state with “gunk that was rock solid” around her eyes.

Ms Powell’s sister Kate Difrancesco had gone with her to Ms Callaghan’s house to check on her welfare, and Poppy was eager to make an impression.

“The paramedics got there quickly and broke down the door,” said Ms Powell.

“Poppy had never met my sister before and she actually clung to her.”

After bringing the dog home Ms Powell set about cleaning her up after her long ordeal.

“We gave her a little bit of food, being careful not to overfeed her,” she said.

“And as I got her in the bath she started drinking the bath water.”

As well as being malnourished and dehydrated, vets subsequently diagnosed Poppy with a perforated ulcer in her right eye.

Ms Powell started a fundraiser to cover her treatment and was able to raise more than £4,000.

“She had an operation to remove her right eye and now she’s one-eyed Poppy – actually, we just call her Popeye,” she said.