Miracle, the dog who is fighting for her life after being left for dead, has been thrust into the spotlight after two very caring people – Maria Jenkins and Maria D’Amato – have done all they could to save her. Together with these two guardian angels, the public has also united to pay Miracle’s veterinary bills and for her medicine, provide food, toys, bedding and anything else the dog could possibly need.

Miracle was found just barely hanging on to life – she was crawling with fleas, suffering from sand-fly disease and was literally just skin and bones.

After Ms D’Amato was told about the dog, she and Maria Jenkins have done everything in their power to help Miracle recover and provide her with a safe and happy life. The Maltese public may have a reputation for being indifferent about a number of things, but the support and genuine effort made by a large number of people has made all the difference.

Ms Jenkins, who is currently housing Miracle, met with this newsroom to tell the heart-warming story of the dog that is fighting for her life.

“Some people had telephoned Maria [D’Amato] and told her that a dog had been abandoned under a tree in Wied il-Ghajn. She immediately went there and found the dog dying, literally a skeleton, in a very poor state. After taking her to the vet, Maria posted some photos of her on RUBS puppy love on Facebook. Maria’s like a sister to me and I couldn’t have done this without her!

“When I saw the photos I was really shocked, although I’m used to seeing such cases. I called her to ask exactly what had happened. She told me about how awful she felt for the poor dog. Seeing a dog in that state is a trauma for anyone who is an animal lover. I know we are strong, but the internal struggle and anguish we feel in cases such as this is unimaginable.

“Maria told me that they would have to put the dog to sleep. I said that she shouldn’t dare, and that if there was at least half a chance that the dog could recover and live a happy life, I would take her in. She said that she’d call back in a couple of minutes because she had to think about it and consult the vet.

“Those two minutes felt like two years. When Maria did call me back, she said that the vet had told her that the dog had gone under the tree to die, and that his recommendation was to put her to sleep.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, and Miracle sitting happily on her lap, Ms Jenkins continued: “I understand that the vet was just doing his job, and I am not criticising him in any way, but I am very determined. I believe in the kindness of people, because I knew we couldn’t tackle this on our own. I told Maria that if the vet said that the dog was in a lot of pain, then have her put to sleep. If the vet said that pain-wise, she wasn’t suffering too much and there was at least a slim chance that she would recover, I told Maria to bring her to my house. Maria said that there was a chance, so that’s when Miracle was brought to me.”

Ms Jenkins told how she quickly prepared a bed for Miracle in a room where she could be kept in peace, away from her other dogs to avoid any problems. When she arrived, Miracle had been put on a drip. “While Maria and I were in the room with her, I put my hand in the bowl of water we had put down for her and splashed a little on her. When Miracle felt the water on her she actually responded and shook herself a little. She had been so weak and unresponsive. Then Miracle she from the bowl on her own, and we started cheering like idiots because that was a sign that she was actually doing something herself in order to survive. On that evening, we began the long and difficult road to recovery.”

State of Miracle when found

Ms Jenkins said that when Miracle had been found, she was completely infested with fleas. Tests were carried out that proved positive for sand-fly disease, which attacks the kidneys and causes a lot of health issues. This is why she had been put on a drip. A woman called Charmaine started making bone-marrow soup for her. For a while it was all a bit mad, because people were constantly sending us links and information and it was very difficult figuring out what our best options were.

“We started to panic: everyone’s telling you different things and you’re just trying to keep your feet on the ground. “I couldn’t wash her at first because I didn’t want to upset her or tire her out. But after a couple of days I decided that I couldn’t leave her with so many fleas crawling all over her – I was worried that they would do enough damage on their own that they might kill her.

So Ms Jenkins told how she took Miracle up on the roof and began washing her with special anti-flea soap. The fleas started going mad, she said, going into Miracle’s eyes, mouth – everywhere they could! This didn’t bother me personally; if I’m doing something to help an animal, this sort of thing gives me the energy to keep going – especially if I know I’m making a positive difference to their lives. Slowly, slowly we managed to get rid of all the fleas.

Second close call with death

Mrs Jenkins then told of the second time Maria (D’Amato) was at the vet with Miracle and called her to say that they were going to have to put her to sleep. “I was devastated”, she said, “and thought to myself: ‘Oh no – here we go again’.

“I asked why, and was told that, apart from the kidney problems, Miracle also had problems with her blood. Her blood pressure was low and, in addition, she hadn’t urinated for some time.” When Miracle did eventually start passing urine again, she went outside – making Maria think that she must have previously been house-trained.

She told us of a lady she knows whose dog, called Xaveo, had previously donated blood many times. The vet wasn’t so sure it would work, “but I thought at least we have to try and see if it helps. Maria told me that if this didn’t work then Miracle would suffer, and I didn’t want to put her through any more.

“We tried anyway, under the assumption that it wouldn’t work. In fact, she was scheduled to be put down at about 5pm. I wasn’t there because I was very busy with the shop, and one of my dogs had recently died so the thought of going through another loss was very upsetting.

“I didn’t call again until 7 pm because I thought that if Miracle had been put down at 5 o’clock, Maria would be feeling very down and I didn’t want to disturb her. When I did eventually call, a very excited voice at the other end of the line told me that Miracle had somehow begun feeling better and was not going to be put down and that she was coming to my house with the dog. I couldn’t believe it! I started cheering and crying in my shop, I was ecstatic!

“A number of dogs have now donated blood after a public appeal on Facebook. People are taking their dogs to the vet and bearing the cost, just to donate some blood for Miracle. The blood is being tested in the UK to see what is compatible and what isn’t.”

The public banding together

People all over Malta have done what they could to help Miracle. It is not every day that you get complete strangers sending cash, cheques, supplies and everything else Miracle needed.

“I gave Miracle shelter, and Maria has been running around taking her to the vet, but without the help of the public, we wouldn’t have managed to save her! This isn’t my dog, this is everyone’s dog, because so many people have helped. I want to thank everybody, from those who donated toys and bedding, to those who donated medicine and money for her veterinary expenses. People have provided literally everything we could possibly need, and it fills me with joy.”

Ms Jenkins went on to say that while she does not expect everybody to love animals in the way she does, deliberately ill-treating them is completely unacceptable. Of the unfeeling individual/s who left Miracle in the state in which she was found, she said her only wish was that the dog had been chipped so that the owner could have been tracked down and taken to court.