Maimed street-dog paws a brave path from Indian curbs to English hills

With a wagging tail, an Indian street dog that lost its front legs in a train accident headed Wednesday for a new life in the English countryside.

The three-year-old mutt was found “covered in blood” and badly injured after being run over by a train at Faridabad in the northern Indian state of Haryana last October.

A railways constable took the wounded animal to a local shelter that looks after some of the thousands of stray dogs, cows and monkeys maimed on India’s treacherous railways and roads every year.

“It is almost impossible to save such a badly injured dog,” veterinarian Mahesh Verma said in a graphic video shared by the People for Animals Trust that named the pooch Rocky.

“There was a lot of bleeding… we arranged a healthy dog and transfused blood.”

Vets had to amputate the forelegs, leaving the dog with stumps. Her back legs were also badly injured.

But the dog persevered through the handicap, using her chin for balance as she hobbled about.

The rescue organisation’s video about her plight went viral, attracting the attention of the global dog rescue group Wild at Heart Foundation.

They found her a home in the rural Cotswolds region of south-west England, while an Indian living in London paid for new artificial legs.

In July Rocky took her first steps on her new limbs, made by a leading doctor in Jaipur, and over several months gradually learned to walk again.

Wednesday saw Rocky London-bound aboard a flight from New Delhi, where she is due to be collected by the foundation and her new owner.

An estimated 30 million stray dogs roam the streets of India subjected to a biting survival.

“In India, pets are often abandoned and abused. We are very happy that Rocky will have a safe and open space,” reported Ravi Dubey from the People for Animals Trust to AFP.

“She’s a fighter,” Dubey cheered, hailing the animal’s “incredible resilience, strength and spirit to live”.

[Sourced from Agencies]