THE owners of a dog whose life was saved by a blood transfusion have set up a fund to help other pet owners whose animals require serious veterinary procedures. Madeline the fox terrier lives a jet-set life by canine standards, dividing her time between Chagford and Florida. Owner Karen Ramsay thinks that it is in Devon that Maddy really comes into her own, though. ?She and her sister Zoe are different dogs in England,? she said. ?They go on long walks in the countryside, dig enormous holes in the neighbour?s field, patrol for invader rabbits in our garden, and have loads of dog friends they visit and walk with daily. Their lives in Florida are completely different. The heat keeps us indoors most of the day, so they get only a short run to the park down the road late in the evening.? It was in Devon that Maddy learned to race. She was to have taken part in this year?s Devon County Show in May, but events took a tragic turn, when just before the event, Maddy was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disorder called Myelofibrosis, which meant that her level of red blood cells was dangerously low. Karen Ramsay said: ?Dogs with Madeline?s condition are given less than a 50-50 chance of survival. Her prognosis was ?grave?. Virtually every vet at the practice was involved with her case at one point or another.? It wasn?t only the vets who saved Maddie though ? a plucky pointer called Burt also came to her rescue by acting as a blood donor. Karen said: ?We couldn?t be more grateful to the vets and we hope we will get a chance to meet Burt when we return to Devon. I have a friend in America who owns a gourmet bakery for dogs, and I had her send a large bag of hand made treats and a very large, decorated bone-shaped biscuit to him, with his name on it.? Maddie?s red blood cell production now seems to be back to normal - she may even compete in the 2008 Devon County Show. ?We want people to know that there is sometimes more reason to hope than the statistics would suggest,? Karen said. ?Treating Madeline was, and continues to be, expensive. But without the tests and treatment she would not be with us now. We would have hated to have made choices about her care based solely on money and we would like to spare others that painful decision when possible.? The family has now set up the Madeline Ramsay Glimmer of Hope Fund which will donate money on a yearly basis to be used at Okeford Veterinary practice for tests and treatments that a pet owner would otherwise be unable to afford.