‘Happiest dog in the world’ faces cruel end

After spending almost four years at a kennel, April is in danger of being put down as hopes of finding her a home fade

 

Abu Dhabi: Described by those who know her as “the happiest dog in the world”, April is in danger of being put down by the kennel that looks after her, as the management question the quality of her restricted life due to her disability.

Five-year-old April has been homed at Abu Dhabi’s Cloud 9 Pet Hotel and Care for the past three and a half years. When they found April, she was severely injured with three bullets in her body that had left her paralysed from the hip down and unable to use her back legs. The injuries also caused her to have no control over her bladder and bowel. The pet hotel provided her with a place to live and got her a wheelchair to allow her to run around, in hopes of eventually finding her a home.

According to the owner of the pet hotel, which is well known in the community for regularly rescuing animals and finding them new homes, they have struggled to find a home for April, temporary or permanent, over the last few years due to her disability.

“She is in a kennel all day without someone to actually love her and be there for her 24/7. She is a very happy dog but it is not the same as having her own home,” said Afra Al Daheri, founder of Cloud9 Pet Hotel and Care.

April’s situation requires staff to check up on her regularly and she was recently found chewing her back leg all the way to the bone, which was one of the main reasons that prompted the management of the facility to consider putting her down.

“The management are considering to put her down because they believe that the quality of her life is not fair,” said Al Daheri.

“We are hoping to find a foster home or a permanent home for her. She is a perfect housedog. She loves going to day-care like every other dog, she makes friends very easily,” said Al Daheri.

Al Daheri said that if the community could come together and foster April for even one day a week, it would be a huge help to April and her quality of life.

“April is a happy dog and she wants to live. I want her to have a happy life, meet other dogs and go to the beach and have a regular life. It’s not fair that she is a disabled pet and just because she is disabled nobody wants her. It’s not fair,” said an emotional Al Daheri.