Animal rescuers know how difficult it is to find homes for animals with special needs. Many people are simply unwilling or unable to take on the expense of caring for a pet with a disability.
Thankfully, there are wonderful animal advocates out there who are working hard every day to provide a safe, loving home for these precious souls!
Divya Parthasarathy is one of them! She started the Tails of Compassion Trust in India to save as many special needs and senior dogs as she could. Not only do they rescue canines who have been abused, abandoned, or ignored from high-kill shelters, but they also make sure these pups never go without a comfy bed or a full belly ever again.
“ToC works on giving a new lease of life to animals that cannot survive on the streets on their own and are considered as candidates for euthanasia,” their website states.
One of the recent additions to their pack is a mixed breed dog named Master Shifu, who was found abandoned in a marketplace. The sweet little one has rickets, which caused physical deformations and kept him from using his front legs properly.
Even though he has trouble moving, Divya could tell right away that he was a “patakha,” or firecracker.
“If you ask me, he is tiny packet of explosives,” she wrote on Instagram. “He is feisty and brave and puts up a fight with the mighty doggos of ToC. He is not very comfortable with new people and took us all a while to win him over. But win we did!”
When Master Shifu first came to the sanctuary, he had trouble trusting humans because of his past treatment. But with plenty of love, compassion, and treats, Divya and her volunteers were able to earn his trust!
“Every time I visit, I make it a point to feed him something that will get him to trust me and understand that he is safe with us and we are here to love and care for him,” Divya added.
Watching dogs like Master Shifu come out of their shells is a rewarding part of Divya’s work. After all, she said all the rescued animals at ToC are her babies!
Divya hopes Master Shifu’s story will raise awareness for the importance of adopting pets with special needs. Just because they have health problems doesn’t mean they aren’t equally worthy of love!
Learn more about Master Shifu and the rescue in the video below, and don’t forget to share this story to remind your friends to keep an open mind the next time they’re looking to expand their family.
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