Fundraising campaign set up

So far donations exceed £5,000.

Tara Purdy, 21, from Belfast, set up one of the pages even though she does not know Codie’s owners. She said: “As a dog lover myself, this story broke my heart. I would like to raise money to help pay for Codie’s medical bills. The dog is still at the vets where it shall have to stay for another few days until Codie can eat by itself.

“What I am doing is giving all money to Codie’s owners. The rest they can do with whatever they like, whether that be a life time supply of food for the dog, or as hundreds have suggested to me via email, other charities. It is up to the family to make this decision.”

Tara added: “I really do not deserve the praise for this. The praise should be aimed at the kind people/families that have donated to the website so far. We all wish the best to Codie and his loving family.”

People have been donating whatever they can afford as they are appalled by what has happened to Codie. One donator said: “I know it’s not much but it’s all I can give at the moment. This broke my heart. I hope the lovely little pooch makes a speedy recovery and justice is brought to those who harmed her.”

Another wrote: “Breaks my heart thinking how anyone can do this.”

Family friend Vicky Wylie also set up a PayPal account and is delighted with the generous response. She said: “This was just a PayPal account set up by myself for Natalie and Martin for a few people who wished to make donations. I am overwhelmed by how many people are making donations between both sites. The support they are receiving is amazing.”

Martin Agnew said that he and his family have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people.

“I just can’t believe it. To be honest, I never even thought about the vet bills.”

To check out Tara’s fundraising page visit http://www.gofundme.com/helpcodie or visit the Facebook page for more details on how to pay by PayPal https://www.facebook.com/justiceforcodythedog .