Amira was born without front paws, grew up on the streets, was shot, but finally found a loving home and prosthetics to run and play.

Amira is a little dog who was born with only her back legs, lived on the streets of Thailand for nine years and, as if all that hardship weren’t enough, she was also shot in the head; but little Amira is more resilient than anyone could have expected and her strength was finally rewarded.

After being shot, Amira was rescued by the Soi Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization that was created in 2003 in Phuket to help stray dogs and cats in need of care.  In addition to rescue, the Soi Dog team takes care of vaccinations, medical treatment, shelter and, through their social networks, searches for guardians for abandoned animals.

A video telling Amira’s story was posted on Instagram and was seen by Lara Pleasence, a Canadian who loves dogs and was very moved when she met the little animal. She told Bored Panda about the first time she saw the dog and how the animal ended up in her home in Montreal.

“It was the recent Soi Dog video about a sweet stray dog ​​who was born without front legs and spent 9 years trying to survive until someone shot her in the head. When I saw Amira, as they called her, so sick, with a thumb-sized hole over her left eye, I noticed that while the vets were treating her painful wounds, her tail never stopped wagging. It broke my heart and I knew at that moment that I couldn’t let her go to someone who wouldn’t give her everything she deserved. I just wanted to love her and give her a happy ending.”

Pleasence decided that she would do anything to have Amira in her home and she had to face a lot of bureaucracy, as it was an adoption in another country, some impediments due to COVID and hold on to her anxiety until the little dog could travel to Canada to meet her new home and her new family.

“She finally made the 22-hour flight from Bangkok to Montreal and, unbelievably, jumped out of the box as if she had known us forever. It was the most beautiful meeting and I will never forget how happy she was and how her energy matched ours almost exactly. She was so excited to meet everyone and there seemed to be no adjustment period. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment her whole life.”

Amira adapted very quickly to her new home and she soon got a wheelchair so she could run and play with the family’s three other dogs. According to Pleasence, the little dog doesn’t even look like she once lived on the streets and only had a little trouble getting used to the cold Canadian winter.

“You would never think for a minute that she had spent her life on the streets, as she has adapted incredibly well to life as an indoor dog who is very spoiled. She wants to sit next to you on the couch, she wants to ride in the car if we go out somewhere, and she loves boating and biking. She just wants to be with her pack and her people and that is the sweetest thing to see. She is slowly getting used to our winters, which has taken a few years, but she doesn’t seem to mind anymore (we have plenty of sweaters, jackets and hats for her).”

And to further improve Amira’s quality of life, Pleasance got special prosthetics (pink) that allow the dog to move around even more freely. The owner told Bored Panda that no one imagined that Amira would adapt so well to her new prosthetic legs.

“She was 11 years old and most people believed that an old dog would never be able to learn to walk on those new legs, but with time, patience, love and lots of treats, Amira proved everyone wrong.”

Pleasence maintains an Instagram page entirely dedicated to Amira; for the owner, the dog’s story is an example of resilience and a great inspiration to many: “I love Amira’s Instagram family so much. She has so many incredible supporters and they write so many beautiful comments, and it renews my faith in humanity. What was done to Amira was horrible, but the people who support her now, who root for her and know how incredible she is, make my heart smile.”

“She is inspiring so many people, spreading the word that different doesn’t mean broken and older doesn’t mean worn out. She has so much life to live. We joke that she is aging backwards and it is this incredible spirit of hers that has encouraged so many people to keep going. We all need to be a little more like Mimi.”