A DOG owner is shaving her head to raise funds for Blue Cross after the charity helped to treat her severely ill pet.

Sammy Arnold, 26, from Pontypool, has already dyed her hair blue ahead of the head shaving next month to raise money for the national pet charity.

The charity treated her 13-year-old Staffordshire Bull terrier Tyson earlier this year at Summerdale Vets in Cwmbran.

Tyson needed to have 12 teeth removed and was at risk of serious kidney issues if the treatment was not carried out as soon as possible.

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Miss Arnold said: “We’ve had Tyson for four years and we love him to bits but my partner isn’t in work due to bad health so without the help of Blue Cross there is no way we could have afforded to pay for the treatment which was urgently needed.

“We’re so grateful to the charity so we wanted to do something to help them help more pets and owners like us.”

Miss Arnold will be having her head shaved at Blue Cross’s rehoming and advice unit on Willenhall Street in Newport on Wednesday, October 9.

Last year the unit helped more than 385 pets, while the charity’s partnership with Summerdale Vets in Cwmbran helped more than 973 pets like Tyson in 2018. The partnership offers owners who are on certain-means tested benefits discounted treatment for their pets at the vets on Avondale Road in Cwmbran.

Hannah Wiltshire, manager at Blue Cross Newport, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Sammy for doing this for our pets. As a charity, Blue Cross receives no Government funding so we rely on our generous supporters to help us continue the vital work we do.”

To donate visit: givepenny.com/head-shave