by A dog found with her ear cut off, blind, pregnant and shot 17 times with pellets was chained up by a roadside in Lebanon. She would have stayed there if a kind man hadn’t noticed her, picked her up and brought her home to Beirut for medical attention. But her rescue journey wasn’t over yet.
The dog – now named Maggie – came to the attention of Wild At Heart Foundation, a rescue organization in the United Kingdom. They agreed to rescue Maggie and find her a foster.
That’s when Kasey Carlin discovered Maggie. Her mom had seen a photo of the dog and told her “we have to foster this dog”. Kasey was to learn that Maggie had had her eyes shot with an air pistol. The pellets lodged in her eyes infected the sockets and her eyes had to be removed. Back in the UK, Kasey found more pellets riddling Maggie’s body.
Although Maggie had “suffered unspeakable hardships” Maggie’s sweet nature and loving heart impressed Kasey so much that she decided to adopt Maggie herself.
“Maggie isn’t a designer breed, she has no eyes, a missing ear, scars all over her face, loose skin (and saggy boobs) but not a bit of that matters because she is a truly loving spirit and she brings a smile to everyone’s faces,” Kasey writes. “It’s okay to be different or unconventional because that’s what makes us beautiful!”
And Maggie has flourished under Kasey’s care.
“As many of you know Maggie has a heart that loves unconditionally!Her spirit is infectious! She has a has a big personality,” Kasey writes on Instagram. “And she has and aurora that is so calming. Her story catches the hearts of many and reminds us all of our inner strength.”
Kasey knew from the moment she met Maggie that Maggie would make a great therapy dog and set out to train her. Of course she passed!
“She and I will speak to schools and work hands on with youngsters,” says Kasey. “I know what happened to Maggie was horrendous but if her story can educate and inspire others to do good then at least we can do our part to make this world a little brighter.”
Maggie enjoys long, daily walks.
Maggie loves her “sister” Mishka. The two love to cuddle together.
Sometimes, her past comes back to haunt her, but she’s got Mishka to comfort her. She is prone to ear infections in her damaged ear. “Because of the horrific abuse Maggie suffered and the lack of medical attention, Maggie’s ear didn’t heal well. She has a narrow ear canal and the cartilage that holds the canal in shape is misshapen much like cauliflower ear in rugby players. Because of this I have to be hyper vigilant when it comes to her ‘ears’. Thankfully she’s not acting too upset but still gave her a day off so she could chill and relax. Mishka obviously knew something was wrong and kept trying to help by licking Maggie’s sore ear. I’m so lucky that these two look after each other so well. They truly do love each other.”
Maggie has come a long way from being found tied to a box. But thanks to dedicated rescuers and social media, she is living her best life.
You can watch more of Maggie’s story in the video below.
