Dogsey

Just six months ago, this little fellow was found hungry, destitute and unable to see.

Basil the blind dog was picked up by rescuiers who noticed he could not walk five yards without bumping into something.

Now, thanks to an innovative new gadget from America, Basil has been given a new lease of life - and his carers hope they will not be able to find a family to permanently house him.

The four-year-old Corgi cross has been given a special guard to wear around his head, which manufacturers call the 'Muffin's Halo'.

The light-weight tubular metal rind stops Basil from bumping into objects, allowing him to run around freely without bruising himself.

It is attacked to his body with a harness and a pillow, which is fashioned to look like angel wings.

The 'halo' is designed to be slightly longer and wider than the wearer and when it touches an object, it puts pressure on Basil's shoulders, teaching him to turn away.

His foster family say he is the first dog in the UK to pioneer the device, after a UK distributor learned of his plight and sent it over as a free gift.

It is not known how he came to be blind, but it is thought he may have been abandoned by his owner because of his disability.