Out of all the thousands of homeless animals in Israel a rescue group called Let the Animals Live (LAL) has helped to save, the poster pup seems to be a dog named Tomy. He was discovered living in the bushes by the side of a road in the Negev desert by a group of Bedouim children.
Tomy’s Story
For weeks, they brought him water and food but could not persuade the scared and injured dog to go to them. It is presumed he was hit by a car and crawled away seeking safety; its estimated Tomy spent 60 days there. Eventually, LAL was called to come to Tomy’s rescue. They discovered Tomy’s rear legs are paralyzed.
Once Tomy was brought to a veterinarian, he spent weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) healing from his traumas – physical and emotional. It was determined he would need a wheelchair in order to have any self-mobility.
A boy named Jamie decided to make Tomy and his needs his personal Bar Mitzvah project. Together, LAL and Jamie raised enough money to have a special wheelchair made in the USA for Tomy. Believed to be about 10 years old, Tomy continues to work on strengthening his muscles to be able to use the wheelchair for longer time periods.
Hadar Gutman fell in love with Tomy during his lengthy ICU stay and developed a loving rapport. She became Tomy’s foster mom. Aside from lots of love, Gutman also provides acupuncture, aromatherapy and other alternative, gentle treatments to encourage healing. View some photos of Tomy and watch his video.
Next: About Let the Animals Live