After Emma Mclean saw a video of a blind street dog living in a shelter in Egypt, it was “love at first sight” for the dog lover.
The shelter, Chance Animal Rescue, had rescued Warda, a Baladi dog, after a member of the public found her severely injured on the streets of Cairo. “She was basically cornered by a gentleman, for want of a better word, with a plank of wood with a nail it”, Emma told CambridgeshireLive.
“He beat her to the point where both her front legs were broken and one of her eyes was pushed back into her skull. She was basically left to die on the street, but someone called the shelter and they rescued her.”
Fast Fundraising
After seeing the video of the blind street dog, 37-year-old Emma raised £760 (around $900) in just 48 hours to bring Warda over to the UK.
It was in 2016 that Warda was attacked. However, the shelter couldn’t afford the medical treatment the canine needed to repair her legs. “They did a patch-up job as they can’t do any sophisticated surgeries, like mending her limbs,” explained Emma.
“Her front-left leg has mended but left deformed and her right-front leg was shattered beyond repair … When she came home, I was just amazed at how well she was doing considering how broken her body was.”
Warda was pregnant when she was attacked, but sadly the puppies did not survive.
Love at First Sight
Emma lives in Essex with her husband and two young children. She was working with her dog behavioral company remotely helping people in the Middle East with dogs they’d adopted. Then, last year, she realized that she wanted a dog of her own.
She asked a friend at the shelter if there were any older or disabled dogs less likely to be adopted. Soon after, her friend sent through a photo and video of Warda.
“In the first 10 seconds of the video, of Warda limping around, it was love at first sight,” said Warda. “I just saw her little face and instantly started to cry. And I said, ‘I’ve got to help you and get you out of there’.”
Warda arrived at Emma’s home in February, and found it tricky to adjust at first. She’s still nervous around her husband, due to her past experiences with men, but she’s making good progress. Her children can safely spend time with Warda when Emma’s in the room too.
“Warda is not a typical case – my background and experience in working with complex dogs meant I could adopt her,” said Emma, “But there’s a dog out there for everybody to adopt – if you are patient, and you are diligent, and you find the right match, it is out there.”
