A beautiful dog was found by the side of the road a couple of weeks ago. He had been shot in the back, and he had been hit by a car. He was paralyzed and bleeding profusely. No local authority claimed responsibility for him, and he had been left to die.
Luckily, somebody phoned Rifugio Fata. After a long summer of abandoned dogs and medical emergencies, Rifugio Fata is stretched to capacity and the team struggle daily to keep up with the care of their many residents and the endless new cases that arrive. But when they heard about the dog dying by the roadside, they knew that if they didn't act, nobody would.
Not sure of how they would cope with such a serious medical emergency, the Rifugio Fata team leapt into action. They gathered towels and a sheet and they went to pick up the dog they called, Anubi.
The team brought Anubi back to the shelter to clean him up and have him assessed by their local vet.
The vet said that the outlook did not look good for Anubi, and that he needed to be stabilized and relocated to a neurological clinic for further assessment.
The Rifugio Fata team are not people who give up easily, so they launched an internet appeal to raise funds for Anubi's treatment, and they started looking for a clinic for him.
As the team worked on stabilizing Anubi's condition, they were amazed at how good his spirits were. Anubi gamely did his best to go along with whatever they asked of him, in spite of his grave condition and limited mobility.
Francesca soon found a wonderful vet at a specialist clinic an hour away who offered her services, and it was time to transport Anubi. He was carefully lifted into the back of the car of one of the Rifugio Fata volunteers, and he was whisked off to the clinic.
Further scans and tests were performed and the clinic confirmed that Anubi had been shot in the spine, and also that he had a condition that had greatly compromised his nervous system.
The vet was conservative in her opinion. She said that with the right treatment, there was hope for Anubi's recovery, but his chances were slim and only time would tell.
Meanwhile, a local newspaper had heard about Anubi's story and reported Rifugio Fata's rescue mission.
Miraculously, within a matter of days of being treated, Anubi surprised the clinic staff and was able to sit up for a few minutes at a time, but the vet remained cautious.
Over the course of the next few days, Anubi started to sit up for longer. Understandably, he was pretty happy about that!
To the amazement of the staff, Anubi finally made it to an upright seated position.
And, unbelievably, just a few days ago, Anubi started walking again. Slow, tentative steps... But very real steps towards a complete recovery.
The vet at the clinic was so pleased with Anubi's recovery that she let Francesca pick him up on Saturday.
Francesca brought Anubi back to his new family at Rifugio Fata, where he will continue his recovery under the care of their local vet.
Anubi and the team at Rifugio Fata prove that there is hope, even when things seem hopeless. They are living proof that out of difficulty, miracles really can happen.
Happy healing, brave boy!
