A mastiff puppy that was found dumped and dying in a rubbish container in Malaga has been found a new home with a family from Ireland after they read of his plight on the SUR in English website.

Yvonne Edmonds and Kieran Byrne are currently spending time in Conil, where they first read the sad story about Ulysses, but plan to return to their hometown of Limerick in the mountains of southern Ireland in May.

This week the pair travelled to the Protectora de Málaga animal rescue shelter to collect the mastiff who was just seven or eight months old when he was found. Since his rescue he has being living with one the shelter’s volunteers Inma Laure in Mijas.

The association said that Ulysses has leishmania and requires chronic treatment and they didn’t think it would be easy to find him a home because he will need regular veterinary care.

Throughout their lives Yvonne and Kieran have had three dogs and Yvonne is a volunteer at a cat shelter in the El Colorado district of Conil. "My husband and I love animals," she says.

The couple explained that they lost their previous rescue dog and didn’t know if they were ready to take in another. But after pondering it they came to the conclusion the time was right but “we needed a sign, we wanted to know which dog would be the right one".

Then just two days later Kieran opened the SUR in English website on his mobile, and came across an article in which the Protectora de Málaga was looking for a new home for Ulysses.

Two elements to the story attracted them to the young mastiff - the fact he had been found dumped in the rubbish like one of their previous rescue dogs and also that he shared the same name as a masterpiece by of one of the leading Irish writers, James Joyce.

"Those coincidences made us see that Uli was the right one. This was the sign."

Thank you SUR in English

They wrote to the animal welfare group to enquire about the case. "We sent a lot of photos of our previous dogs so they could see that we love them."

After a month of interviews and waiting for paperwork and documentation the couple finally collected the mastiff from Malaga.

"We adore Uli, he is so cute... we know he has some socialisation problems but he is so noble and loving, he is an incredible dog."

The couple plan to stay at their current residence in Conil until May and then return to their hometown of Limerick. The return trip will be made by car which they will have to adapt to make it more comfortable for the mastiff. They will cross by ferry from Bilbao, which has specific cabins for travelling with pets.

"It is the best way because Ulysses can be with us in the cabin and not be anxious."

Yvonne concludes with a special message for SUR in English: "Thank you very much for publishing the article that allowed us to meet Uli."