THE emotional rescue story of a young dog who lost his leg in a machete attack in Tanzania has been documented by an Irvine filmmaker.

Eddy Gemmell, of Ayrshire Film Company (AFC), travelled abroad to document the rescue journey of Gongo, a Tanzanian street dog, to his new adoptive home in Scotland.

The two-year-old was found seriously injured a few months ago by a local resident, who contacted Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue.

Phyllis Hutchison, a supporter of the sanctuary who lives in Glasgow, decided to adopt the dog and sought Eddy’s help in documenting his amazing story.

Eddy said: “Phyllis comes to Irvine Beach and Ardrossan to walk her dogs and I often see her. She stopped me one day and asked if I was the guy that makes films, then said she had a wee story for me.”

When Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue took in Gongo, they quickly discovered that as well as suffering a severed leg, he had suffered multiple injuries to his neck, mouth and teeth.

The local vet advised that Gongo’s mouth wounds would be causing him excruciating pain but unfortunately the surgery required is not available in Tanzania.

Phyllis, who founded the charity Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa, decided to adopt Gongo and bring him home with her.

Her emotional first meeting with the young canine at Amsterdam Airport was caught on camera exclusively by Eddy.

Irvine Times:

The documentary will chart Gongo’s rescue from Africa to Scotland via Amsterdam, his journey to recovery and his readjustment to life with Phyllis and her two dogs.

Eddy said: “Gongo is cracking – what a dog. He’s unbelievable.

“Last Wednesday night it was my turn to spend the night with him and I was lying on the couch. He just came up and sat next to me and curled up and went to sleep. He’s endured so much suffering and yet he’s so easygoing.

“We’ve got a wee bit of filming still to do. Gongo is to undergo dental surgery. His teeth were all kicked in back in Africa and he’s got two molars at the back which are really bad. But they don’t do that kind of surgery in Tanzania.

“We spoke to a vet and because we’re filming it, he said he’d do it for nothing, which was wonderful.

“We’ve also tracked down the person who actually found Gongo. They picked up the dog and brought him to the animal sanctuary.

“The whole idea of the documentary is to highlight animal cruelty.

“It’s not just in Africa. The idea is to make sure we get a message across about cruelty, to make people aware there are good stories. There’s a dog here that survived such an experience thanks to the kindness of lots of people. It’s terrific to see that there’s that kindness in the world. It’s marvellous.”

To help with Gongo’s treatment, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/phyll is-hutchison-1.