An animal rescue centre in Gaza is fashioning makeshift wheelchairs out of old children’s toys to help disabled dogs walk again.
Sulala Animal Rescue facility in the Gaza Strip helps to care for homeless dogs and cats in need of food and medical care in Gaza, AFP reports .
The centre hopes to limit the number of stray dogs in the Gaza Strip by providing them with a much-needed sanctuary, “so they can have a happy life away from the torture they may receive on the streets,” says Saed al-Aer.
Saed, who works as an animal keeper at the centre, added that they are the only centre of their kind in Gaza doing this essential work to give dogs a second chance in life.
“We will continue providing them with artificial limbs, since the possibilities here in the Gaza Strip are few, and there are no centres for artificial limbs specialised for animals,” he says.
The centre uses wheels from toy cars and children’s bicycles to build wheelchairs for the rescue dogs who are unable to walk.
One of the dogs who has received life-changing care at the centre is Lucy.
“Lucy the dog was rescued around five months ago,” Saed explains. “She was in a very bad condition on the street, and is paralysed in the hind legs due to a traffic accident.”
After being fitted with a wheelchair using brightly-coloured repurposed tyres Lucy has a new lease on life, and can now walk and run around outside with the aid of her new mobility device.
“The idea involved tyres from a children’s bicycle, iron [rods] and straps,” Saed says about the innovative idea to help Lucy walk again.
The centre has fitted over 30 animals in its care with wheelchairs or artificial limbs, and hopes to eventually find all of the dogs loving new homes.
