Disabled dogs in wheelchairs play on a beach – and it’s absolutely adorable

Sally Kadaoui left her life in the UK behind to rescue dogs from the streets of Morocco and looks after more than 450 – including 20 in wheelchairs

A kind-hearted and hard-working woman has stopped at nothing to rescue stray dogs and other animals from the streets of Tangier in Morocco.

Sally Kadaoui, 48, left everything in the UK behind, including her home and business, to build an animal sanctuary in her country of birth, Morocco.

The SFT sanctuary based in Tangier is now home to over 450 dogs including 20 disabled dogs in wheelchairs.

Sally told TeamDogs how it had been a childhood dream for her to build a sanctuary and rescue strays who were heading for the kill shelter.

Born from a Moroccan father and British mother, she was raised in Tangier and grew up seeing the suffering of the strays on the streets, desperately needing help.

In 2013, she sold her home and business in Cambridge and returned to Tangier where she built a sanctuary.

She says around 200,000 dogs in Morocco are killed each year, so she made it her aim to take all strays off the streets of Tangier.

Sally has also rescued donkeys, wild bulls, monkeys, cats and thousands of dogs including those that are paralysed from the waist down.

The heartwarming footage of her 20 dogs in wheelchairs proves that they can also have a happy life like any other dog or animal, despite their disability.

Nothing stops them from enjoying trips to the beach or showing their individual personalities.

She once believed if a dog was disabled, the kindest thing to do was to put them down. But her first disabled dog showed her that all lives are precious and can live a happy life if given a chance.

Sally said: “My first disabled dog had spinal damage but he was determined to walk and he was happy. We as humans have no right to take a life away just because a dog is disabled.

“If you can provide the love and care they need they can actually have a fantastic life. My wheelie babies are happy.

“A dog is as pure as any other living soul. The sanctuary was my idea of giving animals a forever loving home. It has been such a success and my vet is a Godsend.

“I’m not paid for it, I invested everything I had. I sold my home and business in the UK. Morocco is a third world country and there is a lot of poverty. We have treated, nurtured and vaccinated and tagged over 2,500 strays.”

The charity receives no corporate or government funding and relies 100 per cent on voluntary donations. She believes that the key is to educate the community and be an example for others to follow.

She said: “We have educated over 80,000 schoolchildren and the community on how amazing dogs are. The tags will help them recognise there is no risk of rabies.”

Above all of this, Sally works every single day and hasn’t had a holiday in over nine years. She has a trapped nerve in her neck with nerve damage but it is the animals that power her through.

She said: “It is the animals that tell me there is no way you can give up, you have to keep going. Sometimes the pain is just unbearable but when I see my babies it makes you realise they need you.”

The sanctuary also has 12 team members who are a necessity to provide all the right care for the strays.

Sally said: “Seven of my employees were homeless. They’ve lived on the street, they know how rough it was. And their humanity with the animals has been amazing. With this job, you can’t feel prouder because you’re providing love and care to the voiceless. Love always wins in the end.”

To donate to SFT Morocco, click here or read more about the Hayat project.