Paralyzed puppy drags herself to remote elephant sanctuary to get help

For the millions of dogs that find themselves homeless and living on the street, life cannot be easy, writes moneysavingbasics.

Finding food, water and shelter is hard enough but for those animals that suffer injuries the future is often bleak.

When Poppy was just a young dog she was discovered dragging her back legs along the road.

Nobody knows how this poor pup’s spine was crushed but this painful injury meant she couldn’t move her back legs.

She suffered alone in a remote area until she found herself near an animal sanctuary where workers rushed to her aid.

Susanne Vogel was working at an elephant research camp in Botswana, southern Africa, when she and her co-workers spotted the injured dog.

‘Sweetest spirit’
Animal lover Susanne picked up the poor creature and took her to the nearest veterinarian – eight hours away.

A GoFundMe page set up to help raise funds for Poppy’s treatment said they were all amazed that she had survived considering the livestock and predators in the area.

“She is bursting with the sweetest spirit. We drove her to the nearest veterinary clinic, an 8-hour drive on terrible roads and ferry crossing over the Okavango River,” added fundraising organizer Amanda Stronza.

She stayed in veterinary care until she was stronger with the initial thought that surgery was too risky on a weak dog.

An update on the GoFundMe page, which raised over $10,000 for her treatment, said Poppy was happy at the Greenside Animal Hospital, a wonderful facility in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Stand on her own
Her X-rays showed her spine had been completely severed and surgery would only put her through unnecessary pain and not help repair her spine.

Doctors believe that “continued physiotherapy will help Poppy improve more and regain strength and maybe even some ability to stand on her own,” Amanda wrote.

“Poppy will also soon get her own fancy cart, or wheelchair, to help her race around and chase squirrels,” she added.

Brave pup

A forever home was found for her in Washington DC and staff were working with a travel company to get her there.

“Given what I understand now about the severity of her injury, I am only more in awe of Poppy’s incredible tenacity and spirit. What a brave little pup,” Amanda wrote.

“We didn’t find her in that remote part of Botswana–she found us, and I truly believe she knew what she was doing.”