A terrified dog who was rescued after being found dumped beside a road in a cage has started to learn to trust thanks to the care and kindness of rescuers.

Elsa was rescued by the RSPCA after she was discovered in Burtle, Somerset on Thursday 27 January.

Scared and dirty with overgrown nails and a filthy coat, rescuers suspected she'd been used for breeding with signs she'd had a number of litters.

The nervous spaniel was taken to RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre where the animal care team have been helping her along the road to recovery.

Katy Darelli, Deputy Manager at RSPCA Brent Knoll, said: "Since arriving in our care we've been doing everything we can to gain Elsa's trust. We've already managed to get her out of her kennel, and she now accepts some fuss which is great progress. She is still very shy and worried about general life but we are making slow but good progress.

"We go to extraordinary lengths to make sure animals who come into our care are ready to find loving new homes. It can take weeks, months, and even years in some cases but we never give up on them."

To find out more about Elsa and how to adopt her, please see her online profile. HERE: the RSPCA site

To find out more about how the team at RSPCA Brent Knoll Animal Centre are helping transform the lives of animals, and to find out how to adopt a rescue animal in need of a loving home, please visit the website

the branch site

Anyone with information on how Elsa came to be abandoned, should contact the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.