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He was diagnosed at three-months-old

Nicknamed ‘Brave Heart’, a puppy has been diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition that will prevent her from reaching the age of two without surgery.

The team at Alexandra Sports, which has a site in Portsmouth and Whitchurch, has launched a fundraiser for one of its resident dogs - Rebel - who requires a specialist operation to survive.

A fundraiser has been launched for Rebel who was born with a heart problem. | Contributed

placeholder image — A fundraiser has been launched for Rebel who was born with a heart problem. | Contributed

The nine-month-old German shepherd is owned by James Taylor, who runs the Whitchurch shop, and frequently visits the Lakeside North Harbour store.

Dawn Taylor, owner of the sports shop, said: “James is my son so Rebel is my granddog. He got Rebel in April and he had a clean bill of health, and he was over the moon. He lives above Alexandra Sports and works in the shop with Rebel - He went to the vets to get his flea and worm treatment, and ended up doing a health check on him where it was discovered he had a level 4/5 heart murmur which was very surprising because he had originally been told he was fine.

“He was three-months-old when he was diagnosed and they said within six months he would probably be in heart failure and they would have to put him on medication to support his heart, but that will only last 18 months.”

After getting a second opinion Rebel was taken to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), in London, for an initial consultation to explore avenues that could save his life. The only option is for the puppy to undergo a serious operation, which has been scheduled to take place next week.

But the surgery will cost a whopping £25,000, prompting the Alexandra Sports team to launch a GoFundMe to help alleviate financial pressures for Rebel’s treatment.

Dawn added: “We need to do everything we can to help him. He has given us and our customers so much joy - Life can be hard sometimes but dogs bring us so much love.

“Rebel is part of the family and we have to try. There is a 50 per cent chance he will survive this operation. The surgeons are quite confident but it is not something they do every day. Without it, he has a zero per cent chance - It will be unlikely he will reach his second birthday.”

Since launching the fundraiser on November 1, it has secured £12,426 with an extraordinary £10,000 of funding secured from the RVC.

The business owner said her family and staff have been “overwhelmed” by the support from customers and friends to get Rebel. But they need a final push to pay for the life-saving surgery.

For more information about the fundraiser, click here.