'He was skin and bones - we had to rescue him'

Charlie was covered in fleas, all skin and bones, and drinking from a filthy puddle when Greg Stocks and Ewa Sikora first spotted him.

The couple from Derbyshire were on holiday in the Philippines where the tiny puppy was one of many stray dogs living on the streets.

"He was in a bit of a sorry state but he was cute and we decided we had to help him," said Mr Stocks.

A year later, and after spending £6,000, the couple have had Charlie flown 7,100 miles (14,440km) to their home in Matlock and they say he is settling in well to his new life.

Mr Stocks said he and Ms Sikora saw Charlie outside their accommodation on Siargao Island during a holiday in February 2024.

"He was there when we were on our way to an excursion and when we came back he hadn't moved.

"He was so thin and frail, all skin and bones and he looked like he had just given up.

"My partner bent down, and he just walked out into her hands. That's when we knew we had to help."

"The street dogs on that island were not treated well, they were viewed pretty much like rats and pests.

"While were there, we saw him have a bucket of water thrown over him and hit with a broom.

"He was so tiny, he would never have lasted."

The couple started to feed the puppy - estimated to be about two months old at the time - and then took him to the vet and settled on Charlie as a name.

"We had the idea we had to bring him home but at the time it's fair to say we didn't know how complicated or expensive that would be."

They started posting footage of Charlie on social media and then launched a crowd funding page to which people donated £2,500.

Mr Stocks added: "Without that support, we couldn't have helped him. He needed veterinary care, all sorts of vaccinations and there was so much red tape."

The couple returned to the UK but left Charlie with a cafe owner who helped them make arrangements to have the dog flown to the UK.

He finally arrived in December, Mr Stocks said.

"He's loving it. He's really thriving and has become quite the social butterfly."

Mr Stocks and Ms Sikora are now trying to raise funds to help other dogs on Siargao.

"It's a place where there are no rescue centres for dogs and where the dogs can be treated quite cruelly.

"Luckily we got Charlie out but there's still so much we could do to help them."

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