The story of Ollie, a King Charles cavalier spaniel who was dumped on a motorway as an unwanted puppy, is helping deeply traumatised children in war-torn Bosnia re-build their fractured lives.
After his rough start, Ollie landed on his paws. He is now the much loved pet of Sue Dawson, RSPCA North West Regional education officer, who has used photographs and tales of his life to create a picture book as a therapeutic tool in rehabilitation programmes with children both in Bosnia and Britain.
She says, 'One Bosnian boy who had seen both his parents killed was having very great problems engaging with anyone and was very withdrawn. Through role-play, we set up a room as an animal hospital and he came in, put on his white coat, picked up a stethoscope and started pretending to be a vet and caring for the animals.
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