This is a photo of Major, a rough collie.
He took possession of me in 1987 after possibly being abandoned by his owners.I got to know of his plight through a local animal rescue organisation.
Apparently some children found him wandering and made a 'den' for him under a hedge. They didn't tell anyone because they said someone would take him away and put him 'to sleep'. They kept him hidden for about two weeks until one of the children's' father became suspicious about all the food that had been mysteriously disappearing from the house. The child confessed, and about midnight there was this man and his child looking for this dog.
They rescued him and took him home after a lot of assurances that he wouldn't be 'put down'.
He was in a terrible state when I took him in. He was dejected and wouldn't lift up his head and his fur was matted. I let him settle down for a couple of days until he knew he could trust me and then I took him to the vet's, got all his injections, my rabies shot etc.
After only ten days he had taken control, and was fine from then on. The vet said he was 2-5 years old. He was very healthy up until 1996 when he suddenly developed Chrone's(sic) disease and had to be euthanized.
I still miss him.