Distressing footage has captured the moment a dog was found slowly bleeding to death after having her legs hacked off.
Horrified rescuers discovered the dog whimpering in pain on the side of the road near a slaughterhouse in Zhejiang province, China.
But a team saved the animal from the clutches of a butcher and brought her to Edinburgh where she has been given a new lease of life.
Sickening footage shows rescuers find the dog whimpering in agony after her legs were cruelly hacked off
The dog was en route to the slaughterhouse but the team saved her from the clutches of a butcher
Braveheart by name: She would have bled to death had she not been saved in the nick of time
Video shows rescuers coming to the aid of the dog, named Braveheart, after she survived the attack in December last year.
The two-year-old mixed breed was taken to a veterinary clinic for emergency surgery and the beginning of long and lucky road to recovery.
Now, after learning to walk again on a brand-new set of prosthetic legs, Braveheart has been welcomed into a loving home in Scotland.
New owner Amanda Leask, 48, from Edinburgh, who has given Braveheart a new home with a family of rescue dogs, said: ‘This dog is a survivor in every sense of the word.
‘I truly believe her tenacious appetite to survive brought her through mentally!
‘She’s loving the fresh country air, the peace and tranquillity the countryside gives, the soft grass she can actually walk on using what’s left of her little limbs.
‘She is in good company here. This girl is easing in gently to a new and exciting life where we aim to have her run alongside her pack.’
The two-year-old mixed breed was taken to a veterinary clinic for emergency surgery and the beginning of long and lucky road to recovery
Now, after learning to walk again on a brand-new set of prosthetic legs, Braveheart has been welcomed into a loving home in Scotland
Surgeons used a wheelchair to help the dog regain the use of her back legs
Braveheart had to have both legs amputated to survive the risk of fatal infection
The dog was named for her bravery and a white heart mark on her head.
Due to her wounds being left in the dirt, Braveheart had to have both legs amputated to survive the risk of fatal infection.
She showed her fighting spirit as soon as she regained consciousness, learning to stand on her haunches and walk with the help of a wheelchair.
Australian charity Fight Dog Meat covered the costs of Braveheart’s rehabilitation and transportation to her new life in Scotland.
Despite her horrific injuries, Braveheart pulled through and is now enjoying life with her new owners
Braveheart would have been a dog meat trade victim, there was a slaughterhouse near where she was found and a butcher was about to pick her up
Michele Brown, CEO of the charity, said: ‘She has done remarkably well to have made this recovery.
‘This should have been a dog meat trade victim, there was a slaughterhouse just up the road and a butcher was about to pick her up.
‘When both legs had to be amputated we all feared she wouldn’t make it. The dog defied all odds.
‘She is so happy to get a second chance. We’d like to thank all our supporters for making that possible.’