Special

Peg, or Peggy as I call her is a very special little dog. She was born with Ectrodactyly, a rare congenital disorder in which the middle digit on her left front paw is missing and that paw is basically useless. Her left leg is shorter than her right and is smaller probably because the muscles have atrophied. When this occurs in humans it is commonly called split hand, cleft hand or lobster claw hand. Peggy manages to get around mostly on her other three legs, and uses the deformed one to steady herself. She is a very sweet 6-7 month old puppy in all other respects.

Peggy was found on the street when she was about 4 months old. Her owner choosing to deal with this special puppy in that cruel way. She has been in Animal Services for about two months, no one wanting to adopt a dog with only three useful legs. She is now in our Paws On Parole Program, being trained by inmates and is up for adoption.

The wheels are in motion to find grant money for reconstructive surgery on her leg. We are fortunate to have one of the very best Veterinary Schools in the country here at the Univ. of Florida. Other options would be to amputate the leg at the shoulder, Tripod Dogs usually do very well and adapt to using three instead of four legs. The third option being to just leave it alone, I don't think that is really an option in Peggy's case. So Peggy is looking for a very special person or family to give her an understanding and loving home.

This little pup has touched my heart deeply. When looking for your next Best Friend...please consider a Special Needs animal.