A Dalmatian dog with only two legs was able to find a happy ending after going through a lot of suffering in the dog meat trade. The dog named “Emma Roo” was rescued from a local slaughterhouse in Xi’An, China in 2017 when she was around 8 weeks old.
When they found her, it was obvious that she had been brutally abused, as she had no front legs, the tips of her ears had been cut off and part of her tail was missing.
Fortunately, Emma was rescued in time and taken to a veterinary clinic in Beijing, where she received the treatment needed for her recovery.
A two-legged dog is saved
After examining her, the doctors noticed that the little girl had a defect in her hind leg, she was missing a few fingers, so it is believed that she was destined for the slaughterhouse.
Apparently, dog meat dealers believe that cutting the limbs of animals for sale without anesthesia produces adrenaline. According to them, this substance makes the meat of the abused animal softer and thus consumers will have a better product.
Little Emma was placed in foster care, but unfortunately after two years, precisely in 2019, she was sent back to the clinic.
So, the group of rescuers asked for help from Dalmatian Rescue, a non-profit organization, in South Florida, USA, so that Emma could have a better life, as dog adoptions are more popular overseas than in China.
Emma arrived in the United States on April 20, 2020, just before the export of animals was banned due to Covid-19. When he was in the organization’s facilities, the volunteers decided to share his story through social networks, in order to find him a home.
Misha Rackcliff Hunt, a 27-year-old woman, saw the post online and completely fell in love with Emma and wanted to help her. So, she decided the best thing to do would be to adopt the three-year-old dog and bring him back to Charleston, South Carolina.
Misha told the Daily Mail:
“Due to the nature of his wounds, we know they were inflicted by humans. Apparently, this is common with dismembered and tortured ‘rare’ breeds.”
Despite all of Emma’s problems, Misha does her best to make her feel good and have a normal life. But she still has many psychological complications, as she has been scarred by all the terror and mistreatment that has been inflicted on her so many times in this horrible place.
Micha said:
“Emma is afraid of chainsaw noises, like hair dryers, vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers. When I brought her home, she was screaming every time she left the room. He always protected her food and her toys. At one point she even kept random pieces of my clothes because she was afraid they would be taken away from her.”
Emma was suspicious of men, so Misha came up with the idea of hiring a male therapist to try and change her behavior, and it worked.
Misha recalled the first time she saw Emma on the internet, saying that just by looking at her pretty eyes, she knew it was her. She hadn’t even thought about all the paperwork she had to do to bring Emma home, she just wanted to be her mother.
Micha said:
“When I met her, I thought maybe she was cold or not interested in people because of the trauma, but she came straight into my arms. When we finished our five hours driving home, it’s like she knows I’m her person and I’ll never leave her.”
Thinking of improving his quality of life, Misha and Dalmatian Rescue teamed up to get him a personalized wheeled cart through fundraising.
Additionally, Joey’s PAW organization, for which Emma became an ambassador, joined the cause and put Misha in touch with Derrick Campana of Bionic Pets, who provided him with custom-made prostheses.
Emma’s recovery is ongoing, she’s still having therapy and a weekly bath, but she’s certainly happier than ever.
Emma used to be suspicious of people and even hide her stuff, but now she loves making new friends and even has over 13,000 fans on Instagram.
Emma still struggles to control her prosthetics or drive her stroller properly because of the way she carries her body, but the therapies are doing their job. She has become very playful, she likes to play with the ball and her stuffed animals, and even socializes with the other dogs in the park.
He loves to swim, the beach has become one of his favorite places, he realizes that there is a whole world to discover.
Micha said:
“The beach is perfect for her because she can run freely on the soft sand. I actually cried seeing how happy he was.”
Now, Misha and Emma are using their internet popularity to alert people that the dog meat trade still exists. Events like the Yulin Dog Meat Festival are an example of this. This festival is held every year and it is believed that around 10,000 animals die.
