Animal welfare officers are hunting the owner of a severely malnourished beagle, which was found wandering the streets of a north-east village.
The starving dog was almost hit by a car as it roamed through St Fergus on the Buchan coast.
The motorist pulled over, collected the animal and drove it to a local vet.
Now the beagle, thought to be aged between eight and 11, is recovering at the Scottish SPCA’s Aberdeenshire animal rescue and rehoming centre at Drumoak.
Staff there have named him Bernie, and believe he may have been living on the streets for some time.
Rescue officer Karen Hogg said: “Bernie was taken straight to a vet, where he was found to be 6kg (13lb) under his ideal body weight and was suffering a severe ear mite infestation.
“Although he is in poor condition at the moment, he doesn’t appear to have any chronic health problems and with the correct vet treatment, good food and lots of love we are confident he will make a full recovery.”
She added: “At this stage, we don’t know how Bernie came to be found all alone and in such a bad way.
“There are very few houses in the area where he was found and it looks as though he may have been living rough for a while, so we are considering the possibility he may have gone missing from home some time ago.”
Bernie was found on Wednesday, April 16.
This year marks the 175th anniversary of the Scottish SPCA. Throughout 2013, the charity – which receives no lottery or government funding – dealt with nearly 230,000 calls.
Almost 60 people were banned from keeping animals in the last year, following intervention by the welfare group.
Anyone who recognises Bernie has been urged to call the Scottish SPCA’s Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.