Ariel lost some extra limbs – but working at our surf school she was about to find her sea legs! By Emma-Mary Webster, 50
As I strolled along the beach, I remembered how our old dog Pippin loved to play in the waves.
My partner Ollie and I ran a surf school for people with disabilities.
Pippin had been like a member of the team, keeping our clients company and splashing about in the water.
When he’d died, we’d felt heartbroken.
Pippin was irreplaceable.
But his passing had left a dog-shaped hole in our lives.
‘Do you think it might be time to get another dog?’
I asked Ollie.
‘Let’s have a look at the Greenacres shelter website tonight,’ he replied.
Later, we logged on and filled out a description of the sort of dog we were looking to rehome.
We explained that we ran a surf school and were looking for a calm but active dog.
The following morning,
we received a call back from the centre.
‘We have a dog in mind,’ the woman said. ‘Have you seen the news about Ariel?’
‘I don’t think so,’ I said.
She gave me a rundown
of the story.
An 11-week-old spaniel puppy had been found in
the car park of a nearby supermarket.
She had an underdeveloped pelvis and two extra back legs, which were fused together and resembled
a mermaid’s tail.
Staff at the centre had named her Ariel after the character in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
The centre had posted the story online, and donations had flooded in to help pay for Ariel’s treatment.
In total, £15,000 had been raised.
'Ariel's always welcome here!'
Ariel had undergone an operation to remove her two extra legs, and was in recovery.
‘Poor dog,’ said Ollie. ‘But will she be able to keep up with us at the school?’
The centre told us she was doing really
well and had
lots of energy.
After reading Ariel’s story online, we chatted to staff at the centre about her care needs.
We were told that Ariel would need ongoing physiotherapy, but otherwise she was expected to live a normal life.
Her foster carer June arranged to bring her to meet us at our home in Pembroke.
When they arrived, we sat in the back garden to enjoy the sun.
Ariel rolled on to her back and let us rub her tummy.
She stared into our eyes and we felt besotted.
June laughed.
‘I was only meant to introduce you, but I think I could leave right now,’
she said.
Ariel had already made herself totally at home.
And the following week, she moved in with us permanently.
Ariel settled in at once.
She loved to tear along the beach and fitted into life at the surf school.
One day, Ariel was due to come out on the boat with
us, and we were going to
be joined by a young boy with autism.
But his mum phoned to tell us he was very shy, and there was a chance he might not go beyond the carpark.
When they arrived, Ollie noticed that the boy was carrying a dog cuddly toy.
‘I see you’re a dog lover too!’ he said. ‘That’s lucky because we’ve just got a new dog ourselves. It’s her first time on the boat – could you help look after her?’
When the boy clapped eyes on Ariel, he bent down to
pet her.
In no time at all, the two
of them were best friends.
By the end of the trip, the boy was chatting away happily and making fun of Ollie’s terrible dad jokes.
Ariel loved to hop onto
the bright yellow surfboards, designed especially for wheelchair users, and bob along on the water.
She’d become a bit of
a local celebrity.
One day, we were walking along the beach, when we were stopped by a passerby.
‘Is that Ariel?’ he asked. ‘Do you mind if I take a picture?’
I laughed.
‘Of course not,’ I said. ‘I’m just glad she’s loved so much.’
One day we had a meeting with the port authorities.
I asked if we could bring Ariel with us, but they told
us dogs weren’t allowed in the building.
Then, I mentioned Ariel’s name and they recognised her from the local news.
‘Ariel’s always welcome here, no problem!’ they said.
Her former carer June
loved Ariel and was keen
to visit her. So she ended up volunteering once a week at the surf school!
Now, I’ll sometimes catch Ariel looking wistfully out
to sea, and I can’t help but wonder if she knows how different her life could
have been.
She had a tough start.
But if she hadn’t been dumped in that car park,
she might never have ended up with us.
And I know that’s where she belongs!
● To find out more about the surf school visit bluehorizonssurfclub.co.uk