A tiny dog who was in such a dire state he was mistaken for a pile of rags has now found his new forever home — and it comes with a girlfriend.
Little Morris was rescued from Portland Basin in Ashton-under-Lyne last year and his fur was so matted he was almost unrecognisable as a dog.
When a walker found the Shih Tzu, he believed he was dead before eventually realising that Morris was simply too terrified to move.
It’s also thought that his matted fur – which weighed 1.3kg (or around 10% of his overall weight) – was so tight and uncomfortable that it had left poor Morris unable to move.
But now, a year on, this little dog, who is also blind, has found a new life with his forever home.
ADVERTISEMENT
Morris when he was first rescuedMorris now in his new gaffMorris looks like a whole new dog in his forever home (Credit: RSPCA)
Morris was adopted by 82-year-old Josephine Newhall from Wythenshawe, where he is now enjoying the company of his new girlfriend Ruby, a Lhasa Apso belonging to her daughter.
Josephine said: “We knew he was blind when we took him in but I have the perfect home for him and he can get in and out of the garden very easily so it is no problem for him.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I have also found out he is deaf too – but he doesn’t let these disabilities hold him back at all. He loves playing with his tennis ball and loves Ruby to visit but she can be boisterous for him sometimes so he will let her know.
“They are really good friends and it has helped his confidence. Morris is a beautiful little dog and enjoys snuggling up to me on the settee – he is great company and when you think where he has come from it is a miracle he is still here.”
Speaking last year, inspector Ryan King said: “When the man who found Ashton first came across him he was laying next to a bench near the canal; as he wasn’t moving he thought the poor pet was already dead.
ADVERTISEMENT
“But on closer inspection, he realised he was breathing but his fur was so heavy and matted he appeared unable to move and he was obviously terrified.
“Vets at the animal hospital later found he was blind in one eye with glaucoma and had very little sight due to cataracts – so it is not surprising the poor dog would have been too terrified to move from where he was abandoned.” It makes us well up just thinking about it.
We’re just so glad this lovely little doggo is now safe, sound and happy in his new home. Look after your good boys and girls, people.
New Mayor Bev Craig announces £20m fund to ‘revitalise’ Greater Manchester high streets
Emily Sergeant
The new Mayor of Greater Manchester has unveiled plans to ‘breathe new life’ into local high streets with a landmark £20 million fund.
Bev Craig says Greater Manchester has enjoyed a decade of rapid economic growth, ‘outstripping’ every other city region in the UK in the process, but now she wants to make sure that everyone can ‘see and feel’ the benefits of that growth where they live.
The new £20m Good Growth High Streets Fund will be made available to local businesses, business groups, and voluntary and community organisations across Greater Manchester to improve their high streets, and will primarily back ideas that can ‘make a real difference’ to good economic growth and restore local pride.
The new fund forms part of the Our High Streets campaign – which will run throughout her first mayoral term to ’empower’ local communities to revitalise where they live, shop, and socialise.
New Mayor Bev Craig has announced a £20m fund to ‘revitalise’ Greater Manchester high streets / Credit: GMCA | Jonny Gios (via Unsplash)
To drive forward this work, Bev is calling on local businesses and groups to join a new High Streets Taskforce, which will help design the ‘ambitious’ plans for the fund and put them into practice across the city region.
Bev launched her high street plans in Middleton yesterday, where she said the ‘passion and ambition’ of local people and the independent business community are already leading to a transformation of the town centre, and there’s potential of even more to come.
“Our high streets are the beating hearts of our communities, and people want to feel pride about where they live,” commented Mayor Bev Craig.
“They are rightly worried and frustrated when they see derelict pubs, boarded-up shops, and dodgy operators, and independent traders moving away. They want to see practical support for local businesses now and that’s why I’m taking action.
“Our new £20 million Good Growth High Streets Fund is all about restoring pride in a vibrant high street, backing our neighbourhoods, and spreading the rewards of good economic growth everywhere.”
The Good Growth High Streets Fund will open for applications later this year.
Featured Image – GMCA
News
Student police officer charged with off-duty rape and kidnap of woman in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A student police officer has been charged with the rape and kidnap of a woman in Manchester while he was off duty.
Mohammad Hassan, 23-years-old and of Asian-Pakistani ethnicity, has been remanded in custody following the charges, and has been suspended Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
The charges – which have been authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following a police investigation – relate to reports made to authorities on the evening of Saturday 8 August 2026, which ended in a police pursuit on the M62 in West Yorkshire.
Following the police pursuit, a woman was safeguarded at the scene, and continues to be supported by specialist officers and support services.
Hassan has been charged with oral rape, kidnap, strangulation, sexual assault, theft of mobile phone, and dangerous driving.
He is set to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court today (11 August).
“GMP detectives and staff have been working on this investigation throughout the last 48 hours to ensure charges are brought in this case,” explained GMP Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Dexter.
“The victim is our priority, and we are ensuring she continues to receive specialist support. Criminal proceedings must now take its course without interference.
“I understand, and share, the feeling among the public and our thousands of hard-working, decent staff who will have seen this news. Proceedings are underway and necessary action will be decisively taken within the regulations.”
Daisy Jackson -
15th August 2023 
