Three months months ago Maggie was on her way to a foster home to check on one of our kittens. As Maggie rolled up her window to block out the noise of Beirut traffic she saw a dog wandering in the middle of the street which had no hair and was covered with patches of rough, discolored, and bleeding skin. She was extremely thin, limping desperately, but the skin looked terribly painful and debilitating. Maggie quickly parked on the side and attempted to follow the dog but she quickly disappeared.
Disturbed and uneasy, the dog remained in Maggie?s mind for months until one day she received an e-mail of a very sick dog who sleeps in an abandoned building. Maggie recognized the location and hearing the the dog's description she immediately made the link. Frida was a complete outcast in her area.
People were disgusted by her appearance and would throw stones and yell aggressively to keep her away. She became terrified of people and took shelter in an abandoned house. However, even her little shelter was taken away as the house was being demolished and Frida started roaming the streets more often. We went on several occasions to try and catch her but sadly, she was so terrified that despite our tempting her with food, she ran away.
We created shifts on daily basis next to the area where she lived to try and gain her trust. Even when we put food inside the cage, she would not enter. It was a hopeful sign for us when we met isam, a kind man living in the area. ?I come everyday to feed the animals,? said Isam as he waited for a restaurant to dump its leftovers which he will collect to feed the cats in the area. ?She comes to me to get her share and leaves." We had finally found someone Frida trusted and worked with Isam for the next few weeks to feed Frida daily and get her used to the trapping cage. Finally feeling the time was right, we met Isam on on site before he began his daily feeding.
As usual, Frida followed Isam while Maggie waited at the end of the street with the trapping cage prepared. Isam slowly walked her towards Maggie and to our surprise she entered without hesitation. Frida was so skinny and light that the door of the trapping cage didn't automatically shut and Isam had to close the door behind her.
Frida suffered so much from illness, chronic discomfort of a skin disease covering her entire body, and the aggression and cruelty of people when she would search for food. She now has at least a month of treatment before she is healthy and trusting of humans. She is now receiving treatment with the help of international vets and has begun to approach us with a wagging tail looking for attention from anyone passing by.
Donate now to support the rescue and treatment of Frida and other animals just like her that urgently need help.
