An injured dog found on the Saughall slip road of the M56 has been taken in by a kind-hearted couple from Elton who stopped to offer their help to Highways England traffic officers.

Whippet Chance, who is thought to be four-years-old, was discovered by the side of the road on April 5.

Lucy Edwards and her partner Graham Houghton offered to transport Chance to an RSPCA vet in Salford and soon grew attached to him.

Part-time university student and mum Lucy, 26, said: “He looked me full in the face with big brown eyes so full of pain and fear that it broke my heart yet he trusted us to help him.”

Chance was transferred to Chester Gates Hospital to undergo surgery for a broken leg and the couple decided to add him to their menagerie of two other dogs, three cats and three bearded dragons after being told the RSPCA did not have the funding or facilities to treat him.

Chance, a whippet who was found on the road side with a broken leg

Grateful kisses

Lucy said: “Chance had shown so much courage and love that we could not see him be put to sleep because of lack of funding.

“Picking him up from the vets was amazing. For the first time since his accident, I was able to see him and his response was to shower myself and Graham with kisses.

“He really is such an amazing boy.”

But Chance’s surgery alone has cost around £3,000 – which was discounted by 10% by Chester Gates – so Lucy and Graham took out a bank loan to meet the costs.

They are now appealing for help in meeting the costs of the other treatment he needs.

“People have been very kind with donating so far we have raised £320 towards Chance’s vet bills – he has a long road to recovery and we may come up against complications or further vet bills to help him to be able to run again,” Lucy added.

A spokesman for Highways England confirmed that traffic officers from Highways England attended the incident and said that a ‘nice couple’ offered their assistance.

If you would like to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/rb4pr8 .