Abandoned, picked up by the police in the Scarborough area and on death row in a kennels, readers took him to their hearts – with more than £400 pouring in to the Bridlington branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust to ensure he could be cared for until a new owner was found.

Then he was in a sorry state, half starving, extremely underweight, with his bones almost sticking through his coat and covered in sores.

Now, after loving care at the trust's kennels near Hornsea, he is an affectionate, tail-wagging and loving addition to the Harris household in Vicarage Lane, Bempton, where his new owners Rose and Paul love him to bits.

"He still needs to get his weight up. He has had steak for his lunch and ham for his tea and he loves it," said Rose, 56, who together with her husband Paul, 59, are nuts about animals and dogs in particular.

They were ecstatic when the trust said they could take Arthur, even making him up a king-size bed in their living room.

A new purpose-made one is on its way and he already has two new coats, one for summer and one for winter, plus toys to play with thanks to well-wishers' donations.

He enjoys playing in the garden with Paul, who also takes him for regular walks around local farm fields.

"We just have to be a bit careful because sometimes he can get a bit out of puff," said Paul.

At the moment Arthur has some female company.

Amber, a brown and white king spaniel, belongs to a neighbour and is being looked after by Mr and Mrs Harris for a day or two.

"When he first came on Saturday and they met they got on like a house on fire," said Paul.

The couple could not resist trying to help Arthur when they saw his photograph in the Free Press.

His face reminded them of their own dog Bruno, a Jack Russell terrier cross who died last July.

"After Bruno died we decided we would not get another until we had taken a holiday which we booked for this coming September because we would not want to put them into kennels, but when we saw Arthur we just had to help him. He will be able to stay in the greyhound kennels with people he knows when we go away," said Rose.

Arthur's story could have had a much different end without the efforts of greyhound trust co-ordinator Lynette Phillips and her colleague Joanne Lowe.

They had been contacted by the kennels which were only able to hold him for nine days and agreed to take him in.

The trust, formed in June last year, could not officially fund his care because he was not a former racing greyhound but Lynette and Joanne decided they would find the money somehow to save his life.

The Free Press stepped in and the rest is history.

The trust has already found homes for more than 20 retired racing greyhounds and has several more in its care which it needs to rehome.

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