Hi there!
I found your website when I was looking through the net
to see if there were many more three legged dogs in the world.
I have worked in an animal sanctuary for six years now
and have only came across a total of about five three legged dogs.
One of them was Peggy, a little Corgi/Collie crossbreed.

I first met Peggy about five years ago when she was brought into us at the Sanctuary. These two huge "biker men" came in with a little bundle of black fur cradled in their arms. They had found her in a plastic bag that had been abandoned in an alleyway.

Small enough to sit in the palm of their hands with wonderfully sparkling eyes, they had decided to call her Twinkle.

On examining her more closely, I could see that she was no more than six weeks old at the time and that she seemed to be missing something - her front right leg. Too young to have had it amputated and no visible trauma, our vet came to the conclusion that she'd been born without it.

Feeling so sorry for her, I decided to take her home for a few nights
until the Sanctuary got a more permanent home sorted for her.

That was five years ago.

Peggy is absolutely incredible.
She has never had any problems doing the things that her other canine friends can do. She can run at impressive speeds and jump higher than any other dog her size I know. (I put this down to her HUGE ears, I honestly believe that they make her fly).

She even has another three legged friend who I've also sent a picture of. Pete is a six year old whippet who came into the sanctuary a number of years ago due to his owners abusing him. It was because of them that he had to have his leg removed. It had been broken so badly that he had to go through a total of six operations with a mixture of plates, pins and bone removal before we decided that it would be best to have it amputated.

A little anti-social at times, he's a little sweetheart who is very partial to a custard cream or two. He is in long term foster care with the Sanctuary's receptionist, and comes to work with her every day, so Peggy gets to see him a lot.

I think that your site is great, I couldn't believe how many other three legged dogs there were out there. Keep up the good work, and if anyone would like to know about the Sanctuary that I work in, Click Here to view their website.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Shelagh Gormley
Antrim, Northern Ireland
Thursday April 12, 2007

Hello,
I am very happy to have found this page.
This is the story of Pati, or as I now call my baby, "Manitos."
He is only 3 weeks old, born in Monterrey Mexico.
He was the first brave puppy to be born.
After him, and a long difficult labour for Martha (his mom) other 11 puppies were born. Sadly, 5 of them died.

The first days of his life were very difficult.
His mom was in so much pain that she couldn't pay attention to him.
He was about to die, but we bottle fed him.
He grew at a slower pace than his brothers, but soon gained a lot of energy and health.

Manitos was born with a leg deformity.
We just took him to the doctor 3 days ago.
We were very positive that the doctor could help him, but he said that his whole leg was deformed so he recommended amputation after more weeks to stop him from hurting his leg.

Manitos is now a very bright young puppy.
He has a lot of energy, even if his brothers are much bigger he fights for food, he crawls to his mom and has now opened his eyes and can hear!! He no longer wants to be bottle fed, so we take good care of him, making sure he is always eating.

To me, the whole process has been very difficult. I didn't know that he could live a normal life with one leg, so it fills my heart with joy to see the pictures of other puppies like him. I am taking him this Saturday with another vet, to ask for a second opinion.

I hope you can share your stories and your support, and I can share his story from the beginning. Your support will be very important.

Jacqueline Jardel
Thursday April 12, 2007

UPDATE:

Hi Cynthia,
I was so happy to read your e-mail!!
Manitos is a German Shepherd!! So he will for sure grow much bigger!
Martha is doing very, very well!! She is happy and normal.
I am coming back from the Vet, I was so lucky because an orthopedist was visiting, he said that he was born with a disease and that he cannot fix his leg,
for there is a complete bone missing, so he said exactly like you did,
that we must wait several months for him to be able to receive anesthesia..

He said that we will cut the arm just below the shoulder,
and like you, he said not to worry, for he will live a normal life.

finally Raymond (my husband) is beginning to grow to the idea of keeping him. I am sure he will do great, he is growing and his health seems perfectly fine (though he is still the smallest of all the 7 born).
I was telling Raymond that perhaps when he grows we could take him to see children with disabilities, so they can learn from a brave puppy like him.

I will send some new pictures later..
God Bless you and thank you so much for your support!!
This is surely more difficult to me than for Manitos..
and having guide and loving support is very, very nice.

Thank you!!
And Hi to Cassie!!
:-D
Saturday April 14, 2007