Lucy, the female dog who was found with her tail chopped off, is now looking for a new home and a lot of tender, loving care.

On June 25, the beige coloured saluki was rescued in the Mushrif area in Abu Dhabi after volunteers from Animal Action UAE found her yelping in pain, with an open wound where her tail used to be.

Stricken with infection, it is still unknown as to how Lucy lost her tail, but there has been speculation surrounding involvement by miscreants.

Now, more than three weeks since her rescue, Lucy is healing well and volunteers from the group are searching for a home for her.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sarita Harding, a volunteer at Animal Action UAE said initially, Lucy will go up for fostering, but eventually, they are looking for a family to adopt her permanently.

"She is still very scared and nervous so we need an experienced foster home, someone who understands dogs."

Though her wound is healing well, Harding said it will take time for Lucy to fully recover, but a good home will aid that recovery process hugely.

"In time, when she settles down, she will be adopted out. It's about understanding how to deal with a dog that has been so traumatised. We don't really know what's happened to her in the past but she just shakes all the time."

Because of Lucy's scared demeanour, Harding said they would be looking to place her in a foster home for a minimum of two weeks.

"We need her settled and not moving around on a regular basis as that is harmful. She'll lose more confidence if that happens. It also helps having another calm dog in house."

But the main aim is to get her into a permanent loving home that she's probably never had before, she said.

Currently residing at a veterinary clinic in the capital, Lucy has also been left with a limp following her harrowing ordeal, though the volunteers are looking to treat this.

"She's been through a tough time so we need to take things slowly. The limp may just be caused by pain from the tail injury but we will likely need to X-ray her. A family can still take her in in the meantime though."

Sadly, Harding did admit that it may be hard to find Lucy a permanent home straight away, due to her reluctancy towards humans, but in time that will change.

"She hasn't showed any aggression towards anyone, she's just simply scared. I took in a saluki like that several years ago and it took her three months to adjust. It will take patience but you can tell she is a sweet dog."

With around 15 to 20 main volunteers in the group and a fostering family network with about 30 homes, Harding said they are always keen for more help from the community.

"We deal with animals that have suffered abuse, injuries, and most commonly animals that have been run over and left on the side of the road. So these animals need all the help they can get from us," she said.

Source: Khaleej Times