A "ridiculous big dog lover" has been tattooed with his sick dog’s name after he raised enough donations to have its leg amputated.

Wayne Smith is a volunteer at Epsom Canine Rescue (ECR), an organisation run by volunteers which takes in unwanted and neglected dogs so they can be re-homed.

The 29-year-old has been fostering ECR’s longest resident, Potter, a dog which has "the features of a labrador, a bull terrier and a weinreimer", which was brought to the charity after it was found tied to a lamppost when it was three months old.

Last month, Mr Smith appealed for donations after discovering the one-and-a-half-year-old canine had a tumour on his shoulder which meant its leg has to be amputated. 

Moved by the much-loved dog’s plight, he vowed to get a tattoo of Potter and ECR’s logo if he could raise £2,000 to pay for Potter’s treatment and help other strays.

After hitting his fundraising target within 11 days, Mr Smith said Potter is now recovering after major surgery, and he can now proudly display his new tattoo.

He said: "The total raised so far is well over £3,000.

"Potter had major surgery to remove his leg and shoulder, but less than 24 hours later, we picked him up, and he was very happy and walked through the door, straight to his toy basket.

"After a couple of days, reality kicked in and the pain relief wore off and Potter spent a week being very sore and getting used to only having three legs, but he’s started getting back to his old self.

"The vets said they’ve never seen an animal recover so quickly from such major surgery."

Mr Smith said Potter has been accepted on the Greyfriars Dog Hydrotherapy charity scheme, as part of which he will receive physiotherapy and swimming sessions.

He added: "Every penny really has made a difference. 

"There are so many dogs like Potter waiting their turn for a loving home, so I urge anyone thinking of getting a dog to look at adopting, rather than buying."

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/INK4ECR