It must have been unimaginable pain that Kuzia endured. For weeks, the black, small dog already lived on the street - with shattered hind legs. He could only crawl. Nevertheless, his iron will kept him alive. The unimaginable thing: the street was busy, hundreds of people passed by without paying attention to the small, injured dog. His prospects were poor - until an encounter with an animal-loving person turned his life around.
Kuzia comes from Ukraine. War has been raging there for more than a year, causing unimaginable suffering for people and animals. Many could already leave the embattled regions, but often the fleeing people had to abandon their pets. On the streets, the abandoned animals have to cope under the most difficult conditions.
We could not bring ourselves to let him go over the Rainbow Bridge
However, Kuzia was lucky in misfortune. He came to private animal welfare workers who volunteer to help injured street dogs in Ukraine. They provide medical care and feed them. Kuzia has already undergone emergency surgery in Ukraine. However, due to the dramatic war situation the country is in, the medical conditions are not optimal.
Kuzia was so badly injured that an operation in Ukraine could not achieve a cure. One leg had to be amputated. The other leg did not want to heal properly. So the dog could not go back to the street. The animal protectors themselves had no possibility to accommodate the dogs for a longer time. To spare Kuzia great suffering, euthanasia remained the last option. But one look into Kuzia's big eyes was enough. The animal-loving people did not have the heart to let the cheerful dog go over the Rainbow Bridge.
Sam was a former chain dog
Dog Sam shares a similar tale of woe as Kuzia. He too comes from Ukraine. He was also wounded so badly there that both of his back legs are paralyzed. Sam was found on the street. Residents reported that he had already been lying there severely injured for several days. Just like with Kuzia, passing cars and passers-by did not pay attention to him. But not only that. Sam appears to have been a former chain dog. When he was found, he was not only life-threateningly injured, but completely neglected and emaciated, with a thick iron ring around his neck. The ring was already ingrown, the fur dull and covered with bloody wounds.
Gut Aiderbichl helps where the need is greatest
The fates of Sam and Kuzia are emblematic of the many street dogs in Ukraine. The number of street dogs in Ukraine is continuously increasing. They roam aimlessly through the country destroyed by war. Local animal shelters are already reaching their limits and can hardly take in any more animals. Battles, lack of food, cold, as well as snow and ice in winter are just some of the daily challenges of the street dogs.
But Gut Aiderbichl wants to support where the need is greatest and immediately responded to the call for help from Ukraine. Both animals could be brought to Henndorf near Salzburg.
Sam and Kuzia have an incredible zest for life
Sam and Kuzia are dependent on special therapy and care due to their disability. Gut Aiderbichl has long been committed to helping animals with disabilities. "Animals with special needs in particular develop an incredible zest for life as soon as they receive the right support," says Dr. Marianne Wondrak, veterinarian at Gut Aiderbichl. Sam and Kuzia have shown incredible will to live, and are now being rewarded for it.
Sam has already been given a temporary wheelchair. "Now that he is mobile again, his eyes are also starting to shine again. Experiencing this fills us with incredible joy. Nevertheless, we have not yet reached our goal," says Dr. Marianne Wondrak from Gut Aiderbichl. Sam needs constant physiotherapy so that he can build up muscles again. At the moment he is also incontinent due to the paralysis. But even that can be cured with special physiotherapy. His big dream is a new wheelchair adapted to him, with which he can dash around the yard of Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf.
Kuzia is a real fighter
Kuzia is also on the road to recovery. He can slowly move his remaining hind leg again after an eight-hour operation at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Here, the animal caretakers:inside Gut Aiderbichl are making great efforts, and do physiotherapy with Kuzia several times a day. "Our efforts are already having an effect. Kuzia is incredibly brave. A real fighter," says Dr. Marianne Wondrak from Gut Aiderbichl. She is happy to be able to give the two of them a second chance at Gut Aiderbichl, because animals with handicaps also have the right to a full and happy life.
