A guide dog who spies on people that ignore her owner has been diagnosed with cancer, devastating her thousands of supporters. Kika the guide dog became a well-known name on social media after meeting her owner Amit Patel after he unexpectedly lost his sight in 2012.
The former doctor took to Instagram, where he is known as Blind Dad UK, to share how his entire life changed overnight due to a haemorrhage in the back of his eye. He said: "It just wasn't my sight I lost that night; it was everything about me, because it happened so suddenly, I didn’t have time to prepare for it.
Sign up to our TeamDogs newsletter for your weekly dose of dog news, pictures and stories.
"I didn't get to take those mental snap shots of my family members and what they look like, it just kind of went dark."
Amit was advised to get a guide dog to help him navigate his way around London - but although he couldn't see the discrimination he was facing, he knew it was out there.
To combat this, he installed a GoPro on Kika's harness to capture the hardship they faced on the streets. The horrific footage showed Kika being hit by peoples' bags as she tried to help her owner get to where he was going.
Shocked by the treatment they faced, supporters shared their well wishes to both Amit and Kika on social media, further prompting Amit to write a book about his experience called 'Kika And Me'.
When sharing the sad news about Kika's cancer diagnosis, he wrote on Instagram: "The biopsy results are in... I write this with a heavy heart, there’s no easy way to say it. Kika has cancer.
"We don’t know how far it’s spread as yet, we’re focussing on Kika’s quality of life and taking every day as it comes.
"In terms of next steps we hope it's not aggressive and we'll be seeing a specialist too. We're trying to stay positive.
"Thank you all for your messages of love and support for Kika, I wish she could understand just how loved she is. For now, my girl is back home with her family, exactly where she belongs."
Supporters have been sharing their sympathies with Amit as he comes to terms with the devastating news.
One user said: "Amit I’m so sorry you had this news, I know from personal experience having a guide dog with cancer feels like.
"I really hope for the best prognosis possible, there are also medications aside from chemo they can give dogs with cancer to stop it from spreading or delay it significantly which Unity had.
"It's very hard, but try not to think on it too much until you have concrete answers and just live for the now."
Another user added: "I am so sorry Amit and Kika. I have been absolutely dreading this, I know you will both be handling this with the grace and fortitude you so regularly display in other areas, but gosh it’s horrid that once again you’re being asked to dig so deep.
"Wishing you both rest. Kika, wishing you easy food, good sleep, and pain meds. Know that we are all so proud of the work you do for your dad."
A third user said: "I am so so sorry Amit. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you and your family.
"Please know that Kika and you guys are in so many people's hearts around the world and we are all hoping she can beat this.
"The UK has amazing veterinarians who are absolutely fantastic at fighting this illness. Please keep your chin up. Huge hugs to all of you."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
