A Rugby charity is appealing for support for a stray dog who was left fighting for her life.

Central England Animal Search and Rescue (CEASAAR) spent weeks trying to find a little white dog, who had been spotted in various locations around Leicester.

Volunteers walked miles, put up hundreds of posters, spent hours watching surveillance cameras and laid traps, before the dog was eventually caught.

She was in critical condition and taken in by Rugby charity Pawprints Dog Rescue, who have named the 4kg dog Adira, meaning strength and resilience.

Founder Anita Twigger said: “The team at CEASAAR spent weeks trying to catch her. There were countless sightings from members of the public, footage from cameras and so many attempts to get her to safety. She certainly wasn't going to make it easy.

“This tiny scrap of a dog spent weeks out in the big wide world, completely alone. Against the odds, she survived.

“When she came to us she was fighting for her life – jaundiced, with sky-high liver enzyme levels and needing critical care.

“We believe she is a fighter. We believe she deserves every chance we can give her. And we are not ready to give up on her.”

Adira spent multiple nights receiving intensive care at 24-hour vets, where she was diagnosed with leptospirosis. Treatment so far has cost the charity thousands of pounds.

She is now back at Pawprints where she is slowly recovering, and the team are appealing for support to cover her medical bills and ongoing care.

Anita added: “She’s not out of the woods but is going in the right direction.

“This little dog has already shown us what a fighter she is, but we need help giving her that chance.

“Her care so far has run into the thousands, which are enormous costs for a rescue, but we simply cannot put a price on giving this little girl the chance she needs.

“She spent weeks fighting to survive on her own. Now it's our turn to fight for her, and we hope the community will rally to help.”

Visit pawprintsdogrescue.org/donate-to-pawprints-dog-rescue to donate.