Three-legged Maidenhead dog who likes to dress up raises £22,000 for emergency services
A three-legged fire dog with his own Twitter account has raised over £22,000 for emergency services.
The 11-year-old Yorkshire terrier, who is called Mr Pelucchi or Barkshire Firefighter, has worked with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Our Blue Light Charity and The Fire Fighters. Charity.
His owner, dog walker and groomer Zoe Le Cartentier, is based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and runs the Twitter, Facebook and instagram accounts, with nearly 5,000 followers.
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Zoe welcomed the Berkshire-born and bred pup into her home at just 10 weeks old after “falling in love with him” in 2010.
At the time, Mr Pelucchi had a deformed leg and later had his left front leg amputated when he was six months old.
Although his disability didn’t stop him ‘befriending the biggest bullmastiff in his puppy class’, he went on to fundraising walks and raised £14,000 for various dog charities , cancer and hospice.
(Image: Zoe Le Cartentier)
Zoe describes Mr Pelucchi as ‘the happiest dog you’ll ever meet’ and swears he’s ‘almost human’.
“He charges on three legs and doesn’t know anything different,” she said.
“He is eager to please and wants to be loved by everyone.”
The senior Yorkshire terrier loves to dress up and pose for photos with props – unlike his brother Mosca, eight, who saved Mosca.
On his social media pages, you’ll see him wearing bandanas, a nurse’s dress, a fireman’s outfit, tutus, ties and more.
(Image: Sandie Powner Photography)
One of his disguises even launched his career. In July 2016, Zoe shared a photo of himself playing with a garden hose in his firefighter onesie.
“I just wanted to make people smile if they were having a rough day,” Zoe said.
“I did not expect Maidenhead Fire Station to respond.
“We were invited to the police station, got to know the firefighters and saw behind the scenes.
“Mr. Pelucchi observed drills being performed for potential new recruits and showed the crew how to test a smoke alarm.
“We wanted to give something back – and after receiving many requests from subscribers for a calendar, I arranged a photoshoot.”
The 2017 Barkshire Firefighter Charity Calendar managed to raise £2,610 and provided RBFRS stations with 29 pet oxygen masks from Smokey Paws.
(Image: Sandie Powner Photography)
And the determined pup didn’t stop there.
In 2018, Mr Pelucchi’s second annual calendar raised £2,200 to supply RBFRS with a CPR dog dummy and 21 pet oxygen masks.
He then featured in a ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ RBFRS music video, visited RNLI lifeboat stations and met fire investigation dogs at Crufts.
In 2019, his Tyne and Wear charity calendar raised £1,500 for The Fire Fighters Charity and his 2021 calendar raised £1,600 for the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield and Our Blue Light Charity.
“Mr Pelucchi’s target is still £300-£100 per paw, which he’s exceeding,” said Zoe.
For now, the pandemic has put an end to Mr. Pelucchi’s visits to train stations, but Zoe continues to post regularly on her social media accounts.
The couple hope to create another calendar and “potentially a children’s book on fire and water safety”.
You can keep up to date with Mr. Pelucchi’s news on his Twitter , Facebook and instagram.
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