An abandoned Staffie cross puppy has been brought back from the brink of starvation by a Metropolitan Police officer, who now wishes to adopt her permanently.
Police were called to Tottenham, north London, a few days before Christmas last year after an abseiling builder spotted a distressed dog through the window of a 12th-floor flat.
Response officer Pc Joe Allen attended and, after forcing entry, found the six-month-old puppy cowering under a broken bed frame surrounded by mounds of rubbish.
Pc Allen, 27, said: “I saw a blanket shaking and that’s when I knew that we had found her.”
Stella was severely malnourished and needed immediate medical attention at a veterinary hospital, having been on her own inside the flat for around a month.
On the good fortune of the builder spotting Stella, Pc Allen said: “Thank God he did because if he hadn’t staff at the hospital reckon she would have had three or four days to live. So she’s very lucky but I also feel like we’re very lucky.”
He added: “Seeing a dog in that state was so shocking and I immediately picked her up and cradled her to make her feel safe.
“She was obviously taken away to get the attention and care she needed but I couldn’t stop thinking about her and it was clear I needed her in my life.”
Pc Allen and his partner, Detective Constable Jade Peirce, have fostered nine-month-old Stella with the intention of adopting her.
Dc Peirce, 28, said: “She’s been having princess treatment, getting fatter which we love because she was still so, so skinny when we got her.
“She’s just so loving, so well-tempered with people, she absolutely loves other dogs.
“She has taken to training really well, with her recall and her general obedience,” she said, adding: “We’re working on her lead skills.”
Stella’s exact pedigree is unknown but Dc Peirce said the couple would be carrying out a “doggy DNA” test, with their suspicions that the puppy has a lineage of Jack Russell and Boxer.
Pc Allen said he was incredibly thankful that Stella had come into their lives and encouraged others to consider rescuing a pet.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better dog,” he said, adding: “If you get a chance to do it, do it.”
Dc Peirce added: “If you love dogs, there’s something about fostering a dog that makes it more special. They really do make your life so much better.
“If you can, always foster, always rescue, over buying, because there are so many dogs and cats that need loving homes.”
After Stella left the animal hospital, the couple initially took no notice of a thimble-sized attachment on her collar.
“She’s got a little vial on her collar with a little note in it that the nurses at the animal hospital had put on there,” Dc Peirce said.
The little scrap of paper read: “Thank you for rescuing me twice.”
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “We are investigating and cannot comment further at this stage.”