An animal charity came to the rescue of a homeless man after his beloved dog was unluckily hit by a car.
Lucky, a four-year-old Staffie, had been crossing the street near Portobello Road, London, with her owner, when all of a sudden a car had appeared from nowhere, running Lucky down.
On hearing the news, animal welfare officers from the Mayhew Animal Home in Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Rise, discovered the dog had broken her hind leg, fractured her pelvis and was in a lot of pain.
Gulbar Hussain, Lucky’s owner, said: “It all happened so fast. I had managed to get out of the way, but Lucky had no chance. The car didn’t even stop and quickly sped off.”
“Who would do something like that? Hit a poor defenceless dog and leave them there to die. I was terrified. I’ve had Lucky since she was a puppy and she has always been by my side. The thought of not having her here scared the life out of me.”
Lucky’s condition was closely monitored over the next three weeks and slowly she began to put weight on her leg again before she was reunited with her owner.
She needed cage rest for a further five weeks before returning to The Mayhew for a check-up.
Áine Maguire, Mayhew’s vet, said: “Poor Lucky seemed to suffer more from separation anxiety from being apart from her owner and would constantly cry for him.”
“We performed a femoral head and neck excision on her hind right leg, which is a procedure used to treat painful hip conditions. The surgery was successful and Lucky recovered well from the procedure. She had to be completely rested for a couple of weeks so that her fractured pelvis had time to heal.”
Tania Mazzoni, animal welfare officer, said: “It is extremely clear that Lucky is very important to Gulbar and vice versa. When Lucky had to stay with us for three weeks to recover, Gulbar would visit constantly and bring in food for Lucky – they were inseparable.
“She was extremely lucky not to be more seriously hurt. She isn’t just Lucky by name, but Lucky by nature too.”
The Mayhew covered all the vetinary costs for Lucky’s treatment. The charity offers support to homeless organisations, visiting hostels and drop-in centres.
Ms Mazzoni added: “A dog is often a homeless person’s only companion and they create this incredible bond. Lucky and Gulbar would be lost without each other and that’s why it is so important we try and keep them together.”
“The Mayhew strives to tackle the companion animal welfare crisis from every possible angle. We are proactive and innovative, working to help animals and their carers by running outreach community initiatives.”
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