A team of researchers in Botswana were out studying elephants when something unexpected animal started coming closer. It wasn't an elephant or rhinoceros which are common out in the Okavanago Delta, but a small domesticated dog who was injured.
The little girl they named Poppy was dragging herself, as her back legs were paralyzed. The researchers were completely stunned. She had survived in the wilderness with the hyenas, crocodiles, lions and cheetahs even though her legs weren't working properly.
If there is one effective way of getting the help you need, it's definitely going up and demanding it! "She came crawling - literally crawling, because her back legs were completely immobilized - into our research camp," Suzanne Vogel, one of the researchers, told The Dodo. "She was unable to walk, but full of love and seeking help."
Poppy made it to the remote research camp and was emaciated and soaking wet. The researchers happily took her in and monitored her until they were able to make the eight-hour trek to get her to a veterinarian.
The vet said that she had likely been trampled when she was a puppy and that she would need surgery to correct it.
"[The vet] said the chances were slim she could make it through the surgery or recovery afterward, but she had so much life in her and I knew we needed to honor her will to live and the hard fight she had already fought to find us and stay alive. I couldn't agree to euthanize her," team member Amanda Stronza said of Poppy. She set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for Poppy's surgery.
Poppy was given some anti-inflammatory medication and as she started eating better, she started to get stronger. They made Poppy a Facebook page to help keep everyone up to date with her story.
Poppy wins the hearts of everyone she meets, and will stay with the research team until they can do her surgery and find her a permanent home.
"She already has so many people all over the world who love her from a distance and are checking on her progress daily and are eager to see a happy outcome, namely adoption into a loving family," Stronza said. "She will regain her ability to walk, or she will gain wheels to help her around. I think she has a bright future!"
Keep up with Poppy on her Facebook page or check in on her GoFundMe for more details on how you can help!
