POPPY, the canine involved in a horrific cane knife accident in Sigatoka earlier this year, is off to Sydney.
The playful mongrel became a Facebook star after staff at the Animals Fiji Nadi clinic posted her story online.
"Because of the interest generated through her story, we have not only managed to raise enough money to fund her trip but have also been able to purchase equipment for our Nadi animal clinic," said Animals Fiji Trustee Casey Quimby.
Poppy's nose was chopped off by a cane knife-wielding man. When she was handed over to the clinic, the canine was starving and malnourished.
After posting her plight on Facebook, numerous donors pledged to support Poppy's rehabilitative surgery.
One of the most notable stories was that of 11-year-old Melbourne resident India Davis who raised about $3000 and travelled to Fiji with her family to meet Poppy and personally hand over her donation.
In fact, Poppy created such a fuss that popular Australian television show Bondi Vet jetted into the country to film Poppy's journey from Nadi through to Australia.
"Bondi Vet himself, Doctor Chris Brown, was in Fiji over the weekend to meet Poppy in advance of her long journey. Dr Brown will head up the veterinary team who will reconstruct a snout for Poppy which will all be part of the episode to be screened in Australia in 2013," said the West Charity Trust (WCT), the parent organisation for Animals Fiji.
The trust, in a statement yesterday, said it hoped that Poppy's story would bring attention to the difficulties faced by the Animals Fiji clinic and the unfortunate state of many animals in our country.
The trust also hopes that the show will assist with greater public awareness and understanding that the welfare of Fiji's domestic animals plays an important role in the perception of our country by international visitors, and should be an integral part of Fiji's public health strategies.
It thanked the many generous donors that made Poppy's Australian trip possible and also acknowledged the significant contributions made by Williams and Gosling and Air Pacific.