A PETRIFIED pooch had to have his leg amputated after fright from a firework bang.

Yorkshire terrier Rocky was relaxing on the back of his owner’s couch on New Year’s Eve when a blast from celebratory fireworks scared him so badly he fell off the couch and broke his leg.

After X-rays revealed the break was so bad it was inoperable, vets told his devastated owner, Alison Rodger she would need to make the heartbreaking decision of either amputating Rocky’s leg, or putting the one-year-old to sleep.

Cancer survivor Alison said: “He is only one-year-old and they said I might lose him so what choice did I have. I would rather have a three-legged dog than no dog at all.”

Rocky came to live with Alison in April last year and just weeks after he arrived she was devastated to learn she had ovarian cancer. Alison is now in remission following months of chemotherapy and says Rocky helped her through her darkest days.

She said: “He was my rock, that’s where he got his name. I had to have a hysterectomy and had my appendix out and then chemo on top of that and he and Gizmo helped me through so when this happened I knew I had to do what ever it took to save him.

“After he fell I took him to the emergency vet and they took X-rays and put it in a cast. But when I went back they told me that because it was broken at the wrist there was no way for it to heal properly and he would always be in pain, so I would either need to put him to sleep or amputate it.”

Alison is now calling for a ban on fireworks being on general sale following the incident.

She said: “I wasn’t expecting to hear fireworks on New Years Eve. I had my back door open because that’s a tradition of mine, I like to let the old year out and the new year in, so I keep the door open. Rocky was siting on the back of the couch and then there was this enormous bang and he fell and landed badly and his leg was broken.

“I just don’t think people should be able to buy them for their personal use. If it’s a public, organised display, then fine because you can prepare for that and make sure your animals are protected, but how can you protect your pets from something that could happen at any time. They should be banned unless it’s for an organised display.”

Alison, who works in KFC but is off sick due to her cancer diagnosis, set up a GoFundMe page to raise the £1,700 she needed to pay for Rocky’s treatment and is thanking everyone who helped Rocky survive.

She said: “People were so generous donating to the GoFundMe page and I managed to put some of my own money to it and then my brother, who is in Australia called up the vets and paid the rest so I have been very luck y to have such great support.

“I will always be grateful to everyone who helped save Rocky.”