It seems hard to believe looking at his happy face, but George the cocker spaniel suffers from a very serious condition.

He was born with a small spinal deformity, so he has no feeling in his legs and paws. Because of the awful "pins and needles" feeling this gives him, George will attack his own legs.

It's a very rare for dogs to get this "arcal mutilation syndrome," and most who do don't live very long because their quality of life goes down so quickly. Luckily, George has Laura Herbert, his loving foster owner, to look after him.

Laura initially volunteered to look after George because she had two weeks off before starting a new job. Once she realized how serious his condition was, she was forced to change plans.

George will hurt himself if he's left alone during the day, so she quit her job and found a new one as a bartender. The pub she works at is dog-friendly, so George tags along during her shifts.

At night he wears a collar to keep him from chewing his legs, but in spite of all her hard work Laura can't always protect George from himself.

This poor dog has been through lots of surgeries and treatments to repair the damage he does, including an amputation for one of his toes. Add in the cost of the special food he needs and it didn't take long for George's bills to reach $10,000.

In spite of everything life throws at him, Laura's "adorable and special" dog always lets his winning attitude shine though.

She told The Mirror that she jokingly calls him an "emotional terrorist," because "just when you think he's in his last few days he just bounces back."

To help support this special dog, you can donate to the Cocker and English Springer Spaniel Rescue (CAESSR), which covers some of George's medical bills.

Share this post so George can get the help he needs!