HURRAH for the ‘wobble dog’
Tinkerbelle ’the wobble dog’ hasn’t had an easy run at life so far, but lately she’s been on a roll.
As a wee pink pup, Tinkerbelle was spotted on Facebook, being given away free to a good home because she couldn’t walk.
Malnourished, missing fur, full of worms, and with no movement in her back legs, Tink was taken in by Orewa-based dog rescue charity HURRAH.
Her pink skin, giant ears and insatiable appetite earned her the title ‘Pig Bat Dog’, and she was soon fostered to Dr Jess Beer from Kiwi Vet Behaviour, who taught her to walk, or, more accurately, wobble.
Although Tink suffered from a weakness of her back legs, and bad coordination, her charm quickly landed her a permanent home with new foster parents, exRodney resident Rachael Elliott and partner Simon Howie.
‘‘We weren’t looking for another rescue dog, but I think she’s perfect,’’ Elliott says.
An x-ray, which left Elliott in tears, revealed the extent of Tinkerbelle’s injuries - a broken spine between her front shoulder blades, caused by a traumatic injury.
HURRAH started a Givealittle page to hire, and eventually buy some wheels for Tinkerbelle, and to fund an MRI scan to see if anything can be done surgically to improve her long term outlook.
In just over a week, the page reached $2000, and Tinkerbelle got the chance to try out her wheels. A $475 donation by a stranger brought the fundraising to its target, meaning Tink can get her very own wheelchair, which Elliott plans to pimp with rhinestones and flags.
‘‘People donated $250 and I was totally floored at that amount, and then for this lady to donate $475... It’s unreal,’’ Elliott says.
‘‘You see a lot of stuff when involved in animal rescue that makes you doubt the inherent goodness in people, but this stuff more than addresses the balance.’’
Now six months old, and with her rented wheels, Tink’s life has turned around.
‘‘As soon as she realised she could run without falling over, she was off,’’ Elliott says.
The next step in Tink’s journey will depend on MRI results, but with a loving family and plenty of support, she’s in good hands, and good paws.
Follow her journey on facebook.com/pigbatdog or help dogs like Tink at givealittle.co.nz/ org/hurrah.