A Staffordshire bull terrier who was found tied to a pipe in an Eltham house covered in his own faeces and urine will appear in a Channel 5 show after he was happily rehomed.

JD was rescued by police and the RSPCA in October last year after neighbours heard barking coming from the house.

Officers found the dog, who will be on Dog Rescuers tomorrow evening, chained to a radiator and he did not have access to food or water.

The animal charity's Deputy Chief Inspector Anthony Pulfer said: “The police had already broken into the property when we arrived.

"We found JD in one of the bedrooms tied to a radiator with about 12 inches of chain so he couldn’t move very much.

"He was sat in his own faeces and urine and didn’t have any access to food or water.

“We think he had been there for at least 48 hours.

“You could see where he had tried to escape previously and chewed his way out of the room as there was damage to the door.”

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Mr Pulfer stressed how dangerous it is to leave a dog tied up like this, risking harming himself or even strangulation.

There was also hazardous waste such as paint and paint brushes lying around within the Staffie’s reach.

Mr Pulfer continued: “When I took him outside he immediately went to the toilet so the poor dog had clearly been trying to hold it in. He also had red rings around his eyes which indicated he was severely stressed.

“Luckily, despite his ordeal JD was generally in good health and was signed over to us and taken to Southridge Animal Centre in Hertfordshire before he was happily rehomed.”

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Three-year old JD has been living with Matt Dovey and his partner Annabel since December last year and has settled into his new home very well.

Mr Dovey, who lives in St Albans, said: “We were a bit concerned at first as he was chewing the sofa a lot but he’s settled down now and has become a lovely dog.

“We knew we wanted a rescue dog as we’ve had rescue dogs from Southridge before. We love Staffies and rehomed a previously-abused Staffie called Misty who sadly died last year.

“JD gets on well with other dogs, he gets on well with us and other people and he’s doing great. He loves laying in the garden and playing with his ball. There’s nothing more important to him than his ball!

“I was happy to take part in Dog Rescuers but I do think it’s going to be really upsetting to watch JD in that state and see the conditions he was living in.”

JD is one of 8,009 dogs rescued by the RSPCA last year which is nearly one every hour.

Alan Davies, actor and presenter of the Channel 5 show, said: "The Dog Rescuers goes behind the scenes to see the RSPCA at work rescuing dogs from neglect and abuse.

"It's sad to see dogs suffering but always a joy when they are nursed back to health and find loving new homes."