“Cora genuinely doesn’t seem to be aware that she has a disability.”
Cora’s journey to safety began after she was rescued from a slaughterhouse in China, where she had been caught up in the meat trade.
She was taken to Harbin SHS Animal Rescue, where she was finally able to rest and begin recovering from everything she had endured.
Eventually, Cora made the long journey to the United Kingdom, where she came into the care of 8 Below Husky Rescue.
At 7 years old, Cora has already experienced more hardship than most dogs ever will.
She is missing one entire ear and part of the other, as well as part of one of her front legs. Her rescuers are now helping her adjust physically and learn the best way to move comfortably on three legs.
Cora, however, doesn’t seem particularly concerned about what she’s missing.
“Cora genuinely doesn’t seem to be aware that she has a disability,” Jade Hayley Brightmore of 8 Below Husky Rescue said. “She doesn’t look at herself as being different or limited. She wants to get out for her walks, explore, enjoy life, be loved and, most importantly, have her belly rubbed!”
Her affectionate personality has quickly become one of the things rescuers love most about her.
Despite what she experienced before being saved, Cora still seeks out human attention and affection whenever she can. Rather than appearing focused on her difficult past, she seems much more interested in enjoying everything her new life has to offer.
For now, her caregivers are concentrating on helping her grow stronger.
Walking on three legs requires Cora’s body to compensate in new ways, so the rescue is giving her plenty of time to develop the muscles and balance she needs.
The biggest challenge may actually be convincing Cora to slow down.
“We obviously have to be aware of her physical limitations for her and make sure we don’t allow her enthusiasm to exceed what her body can currently manage, but Cora herself certainly doesn’t seem to think there is anything she can’t do,” Brightmore said.
That determination has made Cora’s transformation especially rewarding for everyone caring for her.
After surviving an incredibly difficult beginning, she now has the opportunity to experience walks, affection, comfort and all the ordinary pleasures of being a loved dog.
And while people naturally notice the injuries that reveal pieces of Cora’s past, her rescuers say she seems far less interested in looking backward.
“Humans see what she’s lost and think about everything she must have endured,” Brightmore said. “Cora seems far more interested in what life has to offer her next.”