A definite leap of faith (Callie -- NOT my leap!)

Poor thing.  Send her some good vibes and prayers for me.

 Someone posted a picture of a really cute puppy in a cart like I've never seen, on another board.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1028681/Pictured-The-puppy-born-legs-uses-toy-wheels-around.html

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vcHklSGr9E

Too cool!  I was trying to imagine what a cart would look like for the front legs.

They've GOT him!!! 

The woman WAS getting cold feet, but apparently her family was strongly in support of her giving him to the rescue.  AJ's got him (that's the gal who is working with Rita in this rescue.)

I'm hoping AJ will drop by for a bit.

The *good news* is that Rita's pug is ok -- Shiloh has a pretty severe case of pancreatitis but he's receiving EXCELLENT care and the vet has asked Rita to cook for Shiloh b/c he's just not liking the prescription food which isn't all that great anyway.  Apparently 2 of the techs gave him the meat out of their lean chicken sandwiches so he'd have enough to eat this morning -- and Rita took off work to go bring him some food -- yep, see folks, I toldja -- she'd fit right in here! LOL)

Good to hear Shiloh's is on the mend. How is Angel's progress? I know it's hard getting updates with Rita's pup being sick. Sooo much to worry about! Good thoughts and prayers for all.

Awww, at least he'll be in a rescue that operates in his best interest.  I wish I was close enough to foster.

Actually I *do* have an update -- AJ was able to pick Angel up last night (RAH) they DO have him -- apparently her parents were there and THEY were very very much trying to encourage her to give him to the rescue.

She took him to the vet this morning and he's in really good shape.  No parasites, no heartworm (among other things that was specifically tested) -- but the vet said he's really pretty solid.

The vet has some experience (his brother has a two leged dog) but I think it's mostly "aww he'll be ok at my place"  rather than someone taking this dog on because they WANT him badly.  The vet was noncommittal about ambulation - was likely trying to save them money.

Rita's dog has to have one more night in ICU -- both 'horns' of the pancreas are inflamed but he's doing well otherwise.  But this will give him IV antibiotics (i.e., they won't have to pass thru the stomach) which likely is very good.

I now have the rescue name and a contact address -- so email me if you want it. 

callie at critturs dot com (no spaces - use the puncturation)

Gotta love all the good news!!!  Keep it comin.

Oh....still waiting on some more pics...if you can get some!  :))

AJ has sent me a couple of emails -- she's still not "approved" to post on here yet which is all that's holding her back.

this from her:

Tom and I talked about how to handle his mobility issue. He suggested we encourage him to walk on his back legs since that is not as uncommon as the folks with that dog Faith would like us to believe. There's another dog in his practice that does it and the son a friend from high school has a dog that does. He is really trying and the others are only showing friendliness to him. As Tom pointed out, we can always put a cart under him at any time.

{I told her in my own opinion that it would be better for him to have both -- if he can locomote on his own that's great for times when he can't for some reason be in the cart (like he can't be in it all night long) but I'd hate to see the strain on his back cut his life short (arthritis, etc.) just for lack of training him to a cart.} 

What a sweet little dog!  As everyone has said, if anyone can help this dog find a good home, it's you.  I hope the news continues to be good; we'll be eager for more updates!

About 3 years ago, our local animal shelter received a dog with almost this exact problem -- only he's a rat terrier, and he appeared to be a couple years old.  I believe he was found in a parking lot.  It was clear he'd been cared for, because he was very friendly and in decent shape (although underweight).  It was assumed he'd been a lap-dog and/or carried/cuddled everywhere since he was so relaxed with people, and his legs were very atrophied.  In addition to having the deformed front legs, he was also missing an eye, and he had a few other issues.  He went into foster care, and once his story made the local news, the funds came in nearly overnight to buy him a cart (far more than they needed, which was $500 I think).  The foster Mom worked hard to get his good legs strong enough to support his weight (he just kind of dragged himself along, like a seal).  In time, she worked with the cart and he was able to do quite well with it.

A few months later, he had a "meet and greet" party for the donors who supported him and the public, and I was able to meet him and see his cart use first-hand.  As a matter of fact, I just saw him in January at another event at the shelter -- he was eventually adopted by the foster family, and she does take him to schools and medical facilities for children.  Her message is about tolerating those with disabilities and that we can all do whatever we put our minds to, etc.  But, he DID have the right personality for it, and the woman had already done a lot of that work with other dogs.  In January, she told me that he seems to prefer to walk on his back legs (and she put him on the floor to show me), but he still uses his cart in certain situations or if he's tired, etc.  So, he has two ways to be mobile, which is great.  He's just adorable.

I wish I knew how to do links and photos here -- I could share them.  Callie, if for some reason you think a photo of him with his cart would help your efforts, just let me know and I can email it to you directly (that's one thing I have managed to learn!).  Also, I'd be happy to contact the woman who adopted him to see if she can offer any ideas to whoever ends up working with him.  She's probably be happy to share her experience.

WOW! Callie talks about the terrific people on these boards and she was not kidding! I know my name says Tzipora but I go by AJ and usernames have to be at least 3 characters so I used my email moniker. I'm the rescue partner of  Callie's friend Rita and I want to give you an update on Angel.

 First of all he is incredibly sweet and he has the Chihuahua spirit. He's been with me since Thursday night and is already initiating play with the other dogs all of whom like him. He gets around fairly well on his back legs although he seems to do better going backwards. He reminds me of a movie where one of the minor characters had an old car that only ran in reverse. Seriously, he is doing very well and fitting in here.

As Callie said, the vet gave him a clean bill of health. Tom has been my vet for years and is wonderful both from a clinical and personal standpoint. (I had a pit mix that would have let him amputate without anesthesia she was so smitten with him!) Angel is healthy and just needs neutering which we'll get done in the next couple of months.

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions on places to get a cart. I will check out the New Hampshire university and that also gave me the idea to see if there is anyone at UT here in Austin who might want to take on the project. That would certainly make any adjustments or changes easier. He's only three months old so he'll probably need several over the next few months.

Someone asked where he came from. It was a family in Austin and the person surrendering him was a nineteen year old who told me she had the parents. She also said there is a sib with only one front leg. I explained that one dog could be an anomoly but two in the litter with  the same kind of birth defect is genetic and I strongly urged her to S/N. I hold out little hope she will. When I was walking to my car with Angel there was a couple sitting outside in the cul-de-sac and the woman called out to me saying she was happy the girl gave Angel to me. I stopped to talk with them and it turns out they are the girls' cousins. In the course of the conversation the man stated he has 22 dogs. Breeder Alert! I did not react since if I did I would only alienate them and lose any future opportunities to rescue dogs from them. I'm not going to change their way of living in one conversation and I don't want to burn the bridge for the sake of dogs to come. Of course, my tongue was bleeding from biting it, but it'll heal!

To those of you who offered financial help in paying for Angel's cart, first THANK YOU! We should be getting a bank account the end of the week. and I will get that info to you as soon as we do. I will also get more pics of him posted as soon as I take some. I've spent most of the weekend working on our website. Hugs to all of you! 

**Jumping up and down waving furiously at AJ**

I'm so glad you got to post finally!!  And folks -- for anyone who just wants to send a good old fashioned check, let me know because I have AJ's snail mail address. 

That's awesome to hear!!!  I'm having somewhat of a problem believing you though AJ and will likely require some sort of photographic evidence.  hint hint :)

Have emailed them asking for pics --

FINALLY! I had to get a new keyboard, so I've been lost for a few days. I took some pics of Angel as requested. He is such a sweet boy. When you pick him up he just kisses you and wants to be next to you. He is playing with one of my other fosters who is an 8 pound Chi/Dach mix and about 8 months old. He may not be able to get around that well, but he loves playing with Gracie Lou Freebush. In the last couple of days he's begun to pee standing up! Such a big boy! LOL! I'll post his pictures on my profile page.