An Okehampton dog is to make history this week as the first ever “wheelie” dog to climb Mount Snowdon with her family to raise money for the charity that rescued her from an abusive home.
Mixed breed dog Hope was born in Spain and has fought against all the odds since she was a puppy when she was adopted by the organisation Amanda’s Spanish Rescue Dogs after her former owners threw her over a fence leaving her permanently paralysed from the middle of her spine to her back legs.
Now Hope is in a loving home in Okehampton and has become a keen hiker in her special cross-country wheelchair - so much so that Hope’s family have decided to take her on the walkie of a lifetime up to the summit of Mount Snowdon in Wales in aid of Amanda’s Spanish Rescue Dogs.
The charity has been instrumental in supporting Hope throughout her recovery, rehoming her and helping her new family fund her ongoing medical care - as a result of the injuries, Hope is unable to empty her bladder fully and needs some help from her family to do so.
Hope's new family have spared no expense to give their newest member the life she deserves and have ensured that her new home is safer and easier for her to get around: carpets have been removed and wooden flooring installed, while artificial grass has been used to cover gravel and slabs in the garden.
Hope’s “mum” Kerry Rushton, who decided to adopt Hope after following her story on Facebook, said: “We were high up on Dartmoor one weekend near Yes Tor with Hope, and we were admiring how easily Hope navigates the terrain and how easy she finds the climb.
“This is what got us thinking about climbing a famous mountain that people have heard of and that we may be able to raise some money for the charity that rescued her.”
With a few adaptations in place, Hope is now all prepared for challenge.
She added: “We have chosen to walk the Llanberis path, this is the longest path but the shallowest path, we feel this will really suit Hope. It is 4.5 miles to the summit. We estimate we will reach the summit within three hours and to come back down we estimate within two hours. We are planning to take our time with it though, we will have plenty of rests and Hope’s welfare will be top priority throughout.
“In order to deal with the terrain on Dartmoor, Hope already had an upgrade to her wheels when she arrived here with us, which included bigger wheels and a better harness which allowed her to move more freely.
“Hope will have to wear her boots when climbing Snowdon which she wears when walking on gritty ground to prevent injuries. So we are already fully equipped for Snowdon.
“Going out walking is Hopes absolute favourite thing to do, she doesn’t really tend to notice the hills around here so hopefully for her it will just be a longer walk than usual. We feel she will absolutely love it, along with her two canine sisters, the new views and smells will be very exciting!”
Hope and her family will climb Mount Snowdon on September 9 and they have already raised over double the initial target.
To support Hope visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/hope-is-climbing-mount-snowdon.
Watch Hope's story below. Warning: the video does show some images of Hope when she was first injured which some may find upsetting.