After five months of traveling, veterinary work and crowdfunding, Leo the paraplegic dog is finally settled in Canada and ready to live the life of a happy pup.
While vacationing in Thailand, Meagan Penman found the dog dragging its hind legs on a beach. After posting a video of the wounded dog on the r/WTF subreddit, Penman reached out to local shelters in the area, who would not take Leo in. Believing Leo had a "better shot at life in Canada," she created a Gofundme page on June 21 to raise funds for medical and travel expenses.
On July 3, Penman went back to the beach where she'd initially found Leo and carried him to a local vet's office where she learned that his back was broken. Penman detailed the injured dog's on a Facebook page dedicated to saving Leo.
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Post by Help Save Leo.
"He was in horrible condition, he would have been dead within the month if I hadn't moved him," Penman writes in an Imgur post. "I couldn't find any rescues in Thailand to take him, so I decided to bring him back to Canada."
The Gofundme page raised more than $7,000 for Leo and, after a three month stay with the veterinarian, he was transported to Canada to be placed in the care of Jamie Smith of Ontario. A second crowdfunding page was set up at YouCaring to cover Leo's ongoing medical expenses.
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After receiving a flood of support from around the world, Penman shut down both crowdfunding sites on Nov. 21 and established an ongoing trust fund for Leo. Thanks to one company's wheelchair donation, Leo is no longer dragging himself and looks much healthier and happier.
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