A six-legged dog abandoned in a supermarket car park in Wales underwent surgery to remove its additional limbs. The dog, a female Spaniel breed named Ariel, was born with several health defects. She was given the name Ariel after Disney's mermaid princess character because her extra hind legs were partially fused, resembling a mermaid's tail.
Ariel was adopted by Greenacres Rescue, a nonprofit organization based in the city of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The group arranged for Ariel's surgery and provided her with a temporary home. Ariel is recovering and walking normally, according to a post shared by Greenacres Rescue on their Facebook profile.
"Our lovely, special little spaniel has been discharged from the Small Animal Referral Hospital Langford Vets at Bristol University and is back in the comfort of her wonderful foster home," the group wrote, sharing pictures of Ariel wrapped up in a red blanket post-surgery.
They added that her surgery "went as well as expected" and she now has several weeks of recovery ahead. "Ariel now needs to rest for the next 10 to 14 days to recover," said the group. "We will post updates during that time".
The procedure, which lasted about two hours, was accomplished successfully, stated Mikey Lawlor, the founder of the Greenacres Rescue charity, in comments to the UK's national news agency, Press Association. "The next day she was awake, walking, eating and drinking," he added.
Lawlor mentioned that Ariel received an outpouring of support from people worldwide, including phone calls and emails from as far as Australia. "I can't thank everyone enough who helped her," Lawlor stated.
Ariel is expected to be discharged from the hospital this weekend and brought home to her foster family.
