Last year Doncaster gran was told she was battling cancer - now her beloved puppy has been seriously injured on the roads

But just as 61-year-old Sandi Asquith was starting to get close to some sort of normality, 10-month-old poodle, Shadow, was seriously injured when she rushed into the road, colliding with a car.

It has left her owner devastated, and struggling to pay vets bills totalling £3,000 above the limit of her insurance cover.

Sandi, from Edlington, worked as a carer for 13 years, before setting up a hypnotherapy business. But she had her life thrown into turmoil in 2019, when she was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

She had just started treatment and had a scan when lockdown started. Then as lockdown eased, after months indoors, Sandi was able to take Shadow out for walks again.

It was then she suffered the latest blow, when the pair were out walking in Edlington on Tuesday, August 17.

They had walked along Edlington Lane, past the fire station and were close to the Wavin factory. They stopped while Shadow went to the toilet, Sandi clearing up.

"She’s a good dog and was waiting for me,” said Sandi. “Then, she spotted another dog on the other side of the road. She ran, and a car clipped her. He had seen her and slowed down or things could have been worse.

"But it left her with a broken leg, a broken ulna and damage to her lung.

"We got her to the vets, and they said she would have to go to an orthopedic specialist. She cried all the way there. The next day she had surgery to have it plated and pinned.

"I had not had a dog before, and never had a pet that had an accident. I had no idea of the cost, and my pet insurance did not cover it.”

She has set up an appeal online to raise money to pay for Shadow’s vets fees.

She said: “I’ve not worked for six months, first because of bowel cancer and then lockdown while I was receiving treatment. Shadow was to help me get over it and get back out.

"I was very weak after chemo, and then covid happened, and I wasn’t allowed out. Shadow was with me all the time

"Money is incredibly tight, but we’re doing what we can.

"I had a scan just before lockdown, but haven’t had one since. But I have had blood tests throughout, every two months, and they have been in the normal range.

“Lockdown was terrible. I was not allowed out. But I have my husband, Paul, and my animals so I’m not alone, and I’m grateful for that.

“I would love her to be a therapy dog – an animal who helps the elderly or those with a disability.

"The vets said she would be good at that. She seems to sense those who need her – perhaps that’s why she’s my dog.”

Sandi has a new job as she moves forward with her own recovery, starting as a school teaching assistent in September.

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