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Name: Rombo Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 6 years The tale of Rambo! We don’t know anything about the past of this gentle old dog. The history we can share with you started a week ago when our dear friend Rodger from Kilimanjaro animal Rescue found him sitting on the streets of Moshi. Rambo’s spine is broken, and he is paralyzed. It is an old, already fused injury and it might happened month if not years ago. He is malnourished and suffering from mange, but worst of all, Rambo had almost given up. Almost. He is very calm and friendly and If he is looking at you there is still hope and love in his eyes. Even if we know that he will never walk again we will do anything we can to make sure that for the rest of his days he will be safe, loved, well fed and without pain.

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Name: Safari Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 2 years Safari was wandering around in a neighbourhood close to us and everyday we would see her hopping around on three legs. She didn't make it easy on us to catch her but one day miracle worker Amoni called and said he had her. Her left front leg had irreparable nerve damage and so we decided to take it off. Ever since Safari has opened up and has become a happy and cuddly dog. She is not big on going on walks, however it is harder for her to walk long distances with one front leg missing. She likes going on small adventures though and is very social with other dogs.

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Name: Buffy Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 3 years When we received a call about a mama who was unable to walk and had a bunch of puppies, we went out to pick them up. Buffy came with four of her puppies who were all in a good condition. She however could not use her back legs anymore. At first we had hope that she would be able to use her hind legs again, but after some time it became clear, that Buffy will join our pack of paralised dogs. Always being a great mum, she only started to really shine ones she was away from her pups and got to experience the joys of feeling safe and cared for in a safe environment.

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Name: Isolde Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 5 years We received a video of Isolde struggeling to get along on the streets with just two working legs. So we went out to get her to safety. Isolde is very timid and only tolerates light touchesd. She hates being handled or touched in any other way and will start to panic if one does so. Here in her enclousure we are giving her a chance to feel safe and to learn how to trust us. But even if she will never turn in to a cuddler, she will always have a spot in our shelter.

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Name: Zabron Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 2 years Our Zabron is a real miracle story! He was seen by a tourist passing through Karatu who contacted us, asking to rescue him. We tried to organise transport for him and kind hearted animal lover Abbas drove 5 hours through the night to get him here. Zabron was in very bad shape, full of fleas, thin and cleary had been through a lot of trouble trying to survive on the street. Immediately we could feel his gratitude towards us and he kept improving. He loves going for walks in his wheelchair and can never get enough cuddles. Zabron is a sensitive soul and does not like being handled. A lot of people came together to help Zabron and now it is impossible to imagine MWA without him.

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Name: Schnurrsula Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 1 year Schnurrsula lived next to a children's home where the children were unfortunately not too kind to the kitten with the badly infected eyes... When a kindhearted person noticed her, she brought her to us in the hope of a better life - or life at all! Of course we welcomed her. The first weeks she had to spend in quarantine and she was getting stronger and healthier by the day. Only her eyes sadly didn’t improve. Her vision was next to zero, the infection lingered and she was clearly uncomfortable. After 2 months of hoping we decided with a heavy heart that it would be better to remove her eyes. Totally blind now, our Schnurrsula is still a very sweet cat. She loves to play with her fellow kittens, will immediately come to get attention when she hears someone approaching and overall is handling her blindness very well. In familiar surrounding she will find her way just like any other cat and she makes us proud and happy every day!

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Name: Paddy Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 4 years Our Paddy was spotted on a field by one of our vaccination teams on February 23. His eyes were damaged beyond repair, either by the venom of a spitting cobra, or by man's hand, we don’t know. What we know is that he was wandering around scared and confused and helpless. It wasn’t easy to get hold of him, but when we did we brought him straight to the Gongo Centre and the only option was to remove his eyes. Paddy is a big strong dog and must have lived a very independent life. He was very cautious of us at first but over the weeks he started to open up. Slowly we were able to touch him, only with a lot of treats at first. Then he started to cautiously come out of his cage and with every day he got more confident, wandering around the property. Now, when he hears us approaching, his tail starts wagging, he comes running and will ask for belly scratches and the treats in our pockets. He loves roaming freely around the centre during the day. Here he will follow around our staff while they are feeding other dogs, visiting the cats or sniffing his kennel neighbours. He has found his place. We hope that in the future he will be able to live with our other resident dogs, but for now we are all too happy to give him the time and freedom he needs.

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Name: Paalu Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 2 years In February we rescued an 8 year old goat and her 11 month old daughter Paalu. Mother Saiya is also the mother of our now 5 weeks old little goatlings! Saiya was a pet goat and is very attached to humans. Paalu was born with multiple issues, including deformed back legs and their owner couldn’t care for them any longer. All attempts to stabilise her legs didn’t get the results we were hoping for. But Paalu was a happy kid, and she obviously had no pain, so we decided to let her live and browse just like our other goats. And then we tried her for the first time in a wheelchair! She needed only a little time to adjust her balance and it is safe to say that Paluu is a natural☺️ Just like our disabled dogs, we can’t leave her rolling around without supervision. But with time will come confidence and she already gained more independence and fun due to her new wheels. Way to go Paalu!👍

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Name: Tumaini (Hope) Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 2 years Tumaini = Hope!💗 Young, playful Tuma once made a bad decision and chased a chicken. We know, livestock is of great value in a poor country like Tanzania and we try not to judge but beating her up until she couldn’t move any more, was definitely not a punishment she deserved. By the next evening Tumaini had fallen into a coma and we found her and the girl who owned her in tears outside our gate. It took weeks of round the clock care by Naftal and Nancy, iv fluids, then regularly tube feeding for the little fighter to slowly wake up – but she did!💪 With the first step done, we were now set on trying everything to make her walk again! A big team effort with daily physio led to her improving bit by bit. Especially our dog carer Mama Anette took to Tumaini and used every free minute to practise with her. After weeks of improvement she took her first steps all by herself and from then on just got better and better. Quickly it was obvious that she had lasting brain damage, since she is only able to walk in circles. However, that never stopped her and today she can safely get wherever she wants to go. We are absolutely in awe of the sheer fight for life Tumaini fought! Due to her brain damage she will not return to her previous home, but that doesn't really matter since she already found a new home in our rescue pack where she will be loved for the rest of her life!

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Name: Dikina Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 4 years For everybody who is desperate for a Happy End today: Here comes Dikina! 😇 She was seen dragging herself along a road. She probably had a home at one point of her life, but by the time she was found on the street her tiny 8 kg body was, even by our standards, in a horrible state. Her back legs were paralysed, one hind paw half cut off, the whole doggy covered in wounds, sore spots and fungus, one blood ear shrunken and infected. But even worse was her mental state, she was seriously one of the saddest dogs we had ever seen. Dikina would just sit there and let everything happen what would come her way. She only sprung to life if food was involved – what was already a good sign 🐹 Fast forward to today: her bad leg is amputated, her skin healed, and her spirit is back! The smallest dog around, she is still ruling her kennel 👑 It is a bliss to see her scooting around and slowly by now she also got used to a wheelchair which enables her to go on walks and explore. Her best friend is our also paralyzed Millie and you will never see them far away from each other. Dikina loves to cuddle and snuggle and loves all the attention she can get.

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Name: Kitamu Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 2 years Meet our little tumbler Kitamu!🏋️‍♀️ At the age of four weeks, Kitamu fell into a well and got paralysed - at least that is the story we heard - , two weeks later she was brought to Mbwa Wa Africa. If this actually happened this way or not we can't tell. We think that she didn't suffer any breaks but definitely nerve damage, which can also be caused by pesticide poison, for example. Kitamu still used her little legs to push herself up, but unfortunately, despite daily physio, she did not gain back the use of her back legs.However, that did not stop her from growing into a friendly and playful girl! Over time her legs got stiff and contracted and she needs frequent washing and bandaging to keep them from getting damaged. She is certainly suspicious of strangers but if she knows you she will shower you with love! The highlight of her day is definitely the cuddle time and the walk in a wheelchair with her bestie Ben!

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Name: Moto Msi Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 2 years One lesson to learn from this gorgeous trooper: NEVER EVER GIVE UP! Moto (fire) has been spotted 4 months old on the street, unable to walk and struggling to survive. She must have lived with her injuries for some weeks at least and a closer examination revealed an already contracted right hind leg and an open fracture on the left one. How she could survive is beyond us, but we are surely happy she did! The amazing dog she is, she is regardless very friendly, loving and super happy 😁 After we had to amputate her right hind leg, Moto made a spectacular recovery and developed her very own impressive way of moving on her three legs. Sometimes you will see her walk on just her two front legs with amazing strength, while other times she will run around on all three. Her disability does not restrict her from living life to the fullest and spreading joy every day!

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Name: Phoebe Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 5 years Gorgeous Phoebe: battered but unbroken! Sadly, that only goes for her spirit – not for her body…. Phoebe must have been homeless for quite a while. What kind of accident left her with a broken spine and no use of her back legs we don’t know, but her life on the streets as a paralysed dog must have been a nightmare. Before she came to us, she was hiding in a culvert, her lower body is atrophic and useless, the drag marks on her paws exposed the bones and the hardship of her life has taken its toll on her intestines: she is not only incontinent but is constantly losing urine and diarrhoea. For weeks Phoebe was not trusting anyone, she would sit in her corner and avoid any interaction, even eye contact. But slowly that changed! Now Phoebe will happily greet her favourite people and follows them everywhere 😊 She even is ok with most of her fellow rescues and has taken a special liking to the puppies. What we know is that Phoebe will have her place in our rescue pack for the rest of her life and we hope that will be a long and from now on happy one!

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Name: Dicky Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 2 years Dicky first came to us in january with his three siblings at just 4 weeks old after their mum was killed by a car. Since our shelter was more than full at the time we looked for a foster home for them. The first foster home they sadly had to leave after a very short time before being placed in their second foster home. Here they were finally able to relax and enjoy life! 🐕 One day Dicky was found unconscious in the garden and was immediately brought to our clinic. We suspect he was bitten by a snake or by another dog which left him in a coma. Our clinic team refused to give up on him and with daily intensive care his road to recovery began. 🏥 Slowly Dicky came back to life and step by step also back onto his feet. He had to relearn how to stand, how to walk and how to be independent again. The better he got the more obvious it became that he suffered some lasting neurological damage. Dicky is mostly only able to walk in circles, but that does not stop him from getting everywhere he wants to go and getting up to lots of mischief! Occasionally he also manages walking in a straight line for a few steps but all in all he adjusted very well to his situation and is just a happy boy! Today he is one of our resident dogs at mbwa wa africa, spending the day outside with our other resident dogs in their big run🏡. Here Dicky is very loved and brings joy upon us all with his unbreakable spirit and admirable strength! 💕🦸‍♂️

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Name: Ben Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 2 years A true survivor full of beans! At the tender age of 10 weeks Ben was spotted dragging himself over a road, only narrowly escaping the wheels of the deadly cars. We will never know what happened to him and how he ended up there, but unable to use his back legs he wouldn't have made it much longer. He also can't bark, even though he is trying a lot! - but more than some croaky sounds are not leaving his throat. He was probably born with these malformations, but at the end all of that doesn't really matter, he is one happy, confident and lovely boy! He has gained a lot of muscles in his front legs, which enables him to hop around our big runs, chasing after monkeys. Ben is a pro in navigating his wheelchair and loves his daily adventures! All these adventures also led to him always having wounds on his hind legs and after he also got a bad infection we had no choice but to take them off. You are wrong if you think that has slowed him down! Ever since Ben is even faster and it feels like a burden has been lifted. He will always be a special dog, but he couldn't care less and has so much love (and nips) to give ;-)

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Name: Cheetah (Wonky) Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 3 years No matter what you are going through, or how bad of a day you are having.. Cheetah will always put a smile on your face! Brought to the clinic when he was only 4 month old, scared, emaciated and with some severe neurological issues, no one knew what the future held for Cheetah. His owners couldn’t tell us was had happened to him, maybe it was a snake bite, distemper, or a head trauma, But after receiving treatment and a lot of love and care from all the MWA team and the wonderful family that fostered him for some months, Cheetah is now thriving and has turned out to be a very happy and playful boy. He still has lasting neuro symptoms, including occasional seizures and his walk is best described by a ‘ bouncing dance’. Often he will lose his balance but this doesn’t slow him down or stop him from living his best life. Our Cheetah is never giving up!

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Name: Kishuli Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 6 years At first this sweetheart found shelter in another rescue after she was found unable to walk on the street. She was about two years old and didn't have any obvious wounds or injuries and despite trying rehabilitation training and pain medication, unfortunately the poor girl didn't show any improvement of the lameness of her hindlegs. However she proved to be a great dog but unfortunately nobody wanted to adopt her in the next two years. Over time we gained loads of experience with wheelchair dogs and of course when we were asked for help, we happily took over her care. In November 2021 Kishuli moved to our shelter and she did so well adjusting to her new home! She gets to go on walks with her wheelchair, and she walks in it like she has never done anything else! She is very friendly with humans and loves attention, licking faces and ear scratches are her passion!

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Name: GD Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 11 years GD = Grand Dad! This old, mellow dog once had a home in his life. His tail is cropped and he wasn't malnourished when we found him. But he was blind and probably seen as a burden by his owner. So he just had been abandoned in a deep ditch next to the main road where luckily our Naftal found him... The busy shelter would have been too much for the old man and he is now one of our beloved residents at the Mbwa Wa Africa volunteer house.. GD likes his peace and a good long nap. He also likes the people he knows and happily comes and greets them and in a familiar area you will hardly notice that he can't see. He is the only one of our dogs who is free to roam around the whole Gongo centre in daytime, however after he finished his morning patrol, he will likely spend the rest of the day in with us in the office or the food kitchen. However, he doesn't like surprises, like being touched without warning or being run over by other dogs playing, yes, some people would call him grumpy - but always for a reason ;-)

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Name: Schnu Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 5 years Lovely Schnu was still a young dog when she was found, but the life on the street had taken its toll already. She was barely able to stand up and walk to fend for herself and was severely malnourished. On top of that something, most likely a car or motorbike, had smashed her right hind paw as a puppy, which left her with broken bones and wounds which just wouldn't heal. After she gained some weight and recovered from the ordeal she endured we had to amputate one of her toes to get her more comfortable. And by now she goes on long walks, is playful and the boss dog of the older rescue-group! Nevertheless, our Schnu loves people and her rear wiggles when greeting visitors are legendary ! We still bandage her paw every morning and evening to protect it though, but she likes that time of extra attention! She is a big dog and quite alert but will shower you with love once she trusts you.

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Name: Mowgli Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 3 years In 2020 Mowgli was brought to us by his owners as a tiny puppy after being attacked by baboons! His life was touch and go for quite some time with horrific injuries to both hind legs and part of his spine being visible. But Mowgli is (obviously!) a fighter and giving up was not an option. The team made a decision to remove his hind-limbs as the damage done was irreversible. During his recovery his tail was unfortunately injured too, therefore it had to be amputated also. Of course his owners didn’t want him back as they got him to be a ‘guard dog’ - we think he would have been the worst guard dog anyway even with all 4 legs! 🤪 Throughout everything he’s been through, Mowgli had an unbreakable spirit and the biggest goofiest personality. Nothing stops him in his wheelchair (he is like a lightning bolt and gets so excited he tips his wheels over on occasion!) During his clinic stay for his initial recovery, his best friend became Jessie, our resident goat. They both didn’t understand what the other one was but chased each other around anyway, which was so sweet to watch. 🥰 Mowgli happily scoots around on his bum bag when not in the wheelchair and is longing to play, cuddle or plan some mischief.

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Name: Cooper Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 4 years Cooper grew up and lived on the street. One day in August 2020 we got a call that he had been run over by a piki piki (motorbike). The nice person that found him was feeding him for 2 days before calling us, recognized there was a big problem with his hind legs. X rays didn’t show much so the MWA team tried weeks of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy but unfortunately to no avail as he never regained use of his hindlimbs. We had to accept that Cooper would stay disabled and can never walk again. We bandage him daily to prevent sores and he grew a lot of strength and muscles in his upper body from dragging himself around. His favourite part of the day is definitely the walk and once he’s in his wheelchair there’s nothing holding this boy back! Cooper is super friendly and has an overwhelming love for humans, always wanting all the attention!

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Name: Akili Sex: Male Sponsor Me Age: 4 years Akili came to us in March 2019. Somebody had called Jens that there was an injured dog that they were feeding and taking care of for 3 months already! When Jens went to Arusha to get him Akili was dragging himself around in a ditch next to a busy road, unable to move his hind legs, get out of there and terrified by the traffic going by non stop. No wonder really, because the people told us that he got hit by a motorcycle! Since then Akili has been paralyzed and one of his hind legs was so badly broken that we had to amputate. The other leg he is still using for stabilisation sometimes. Akili`s ability to walk on just his two front legs is impressive. He is walking around like he never did anything else. And in his wheelchair he is even faster than motorcycles (as we found out). He is going for long walks and no hill is too steep for him. Probably he would even make it up to Kilimanjaro. Akili loves to play with the puppies and the puppies always love him. He is looking for a lot of attention and loves his ear scratches. Akili means "mind" and you can often watch him thinking. He is a very special character and a lot of visitors are big fans of him. Akili`s ability to walk on just his two front legs is impressive. He is walking around like he never had four legs. And in his wheelchair he is even faster than motorcycles (as we found out). He is going for long walks and no hill is too steep for him. Probably he would even make it up to Kilimanjaro. Akili loves to play with the puppies and the puppies always love him. He is looking for a lot of attention and loves his ear scratches. Akili means "mind" and you can often watch him thinking. He is a very special character and a lot of visitors are big fans of him.

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Name: Silla Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 6 years In September 2018, a tiny, 6 week old puppy was brought to us. Her hind legs were stiff, and she hadn’t had any movement in her hips either. At first we thought that we could help her with physio, good food and care, but her condition didn’t change. An X-ray revealed that she was born with severe deformities of her legs and hips. But Silla was full of life and joy, just like any other puppy. She loved to play and developed a technique to slide and hop around very fast. After 4 months her stiff legs kept her from moving and we decided that a double amputation would be the best option for her. Amazing Silla was up and about one day after the operation and as happy as a dog can be. Silla is one of our superstars, always friendly and in a good mood, loves to cuddle, all other dogs and she is a very skilled wheelchair user. Seeing her mastering going ‘off road’ through the forest, through streams and shrubs, even over logs is just incredible! She can be a bit shy with strangers, but not for long. Loving and affectionate as she is, we would be very happy for her, if she could find her very own human, who will cherish her for what she is and not judge her for what she is missing.

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Name: Ajabu Sex: Female Sponsor Me Age: 7 years Ajabu means miracle in Kiswahili, and it is quite a miracle that she came into the care of our shelter. Actually, she has to thank Taji, one of our other wheelchair dogs who has since deceased. She and Sandra were on a walk, when Taji insisted on taking a road where they usually never walk. Taji went straight to some bushes, and there she was sitting, our tiny and scared Ajabu. She was a tiny puppy and something was wrong with her hind legs. How she ended up in those bushes we don't know. But probably she belonged to somebody and they did not want her any more due to her deformed legs. This was in August 2017. By now Ajabu has grown up and is one of our multiple wheelchair dogs. She could not use her hind legs as they were deformed from birth on and got really big wounds, therefore we decided it is best to amputate both her hind legs. Ajabu was always quite scared of strangers, and actually everything outside that was moving. It took us more than half a year (after she got her wheelchair) to take her on walks with us. But by now she is enjoying her walks a lot and she has turned into quite a cheeky and playful dog. She has got bees in her butt and you can hear her playing and zooming around even from far away, because of her amazing vocalization repertoire. Also, she has made a best friend in her kennel mate Kishuli. Where those wheelies are coming- you gotta get out of the way! She was a tiny puppy and something was wrong with her hind legs. How she ended up in those bushes we don't know. But probably she belonged to somebody and they did not want her any more due to her deformed legs. This was in August 2017. By now Ajabu has grown up and is one of our multiple wheelchair dogs. She could not use her hind legs as they were deformed from birth on and got really big wounds, therefore we decided it is best to amputate both her hind legs. Ajabu was always quite scared of strangers, and actually everything outside that was moving. It took us more than half a year (after she got her wheelchair) to take her on walks with us. But by now she is enjoying her walks a lot and she has turned into quite a cheeky and playful dog. She has got bees in her butt and you can hear her playing and zooming around even from far away, because of her amazing vocalization repertoire. Also, she has made a best friend in her kennel mate Kishuli. Where those wheelies are coming- you gotta get out of the way!