The Washington Post said that Pip Joyce and Lyn Orton, George’s guardians, were given two options: either they put their beloved George down or pay for a life-saving, yet high risk, operation to remove the tumor.

Reward offered to reunite Albi with autistic child (Image: Sharon Morton) Blonde-haired Mollie Matthews cannot come to terms with the way that two-year-old Albi the poodle-terrier cross has vanished out of her life.

"When I got the one side clear, I had to reach in front of her mouth to pull the tape down, and I was fully expecting to get bit at that time," Norton said.

Jewel Horton, manager of Pender County Animal Shelter in North Carolina, said on Wednesday that local government-run animal shelters were filling up fast and that those that hit capacity must “make space”.