Abandoned dog Snoop 'has severe separation anxiety'

A dog who was dumped at the side of a road the week before Christmas has "severe separation anxiety", the RSPCA has said.

A video of the Staffordshire bull terrier being abandoned in Stoke-on-Trent on 17 December has been seen by millions.

Hundreds of people have offered the dog, renamed Snoop, a home.

However, the animal charity said Snoop was still recovering from his ordeal and faced a "long road ahead".

It added investigations into who left him at the roadside were "ongoing".

The footage showed a man getting out of a car with Snoop on a lead before leaving him at the corner of Timor Grove and Pacific Road in Trentham.

The dog then jumped up at the car's window as the vehicle drove away.

The RSPCA is assessing Snoop to find what sort of home he would be suited to

Since being abandoned, along with his bedding, Snoop has attracted huge attention, with rapper Snoop Dogg among those offering to rehome him.

But the charity said it would be some time before Snoop, who is being cared for at an RSPCA centre in Shropshire, could be considered for adoption.

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Spokeswoman Rachel Butler said: "Staff who are caring for him have found that he has severe separation anxiety, which is no surprise after what happened to him, so they are working with him to try and alleviate this.

"We are still assessing him to see what sort of home he would be suited to."

Ms Butler added: "He loves to play so we are teaching him to play nicely as he gets very overexcited.

"We know how much Snoop touched people's hearts over Christmas so we wanted to let everyone know how he is doing.

"It is a long road ahead for Snoop and we know that people won't be forgetting him in a hurry."

Snoop has been described as a "lovable character" who enjoys being with people and "having cuddles".