Puppy has 5 legs, and needs extra love
NorthCoastNOW
Running the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary in Vermilion, she has taken in thousands of dogs. Dogs with cancer or diabetes; dogs crippled by abuse or malnourishment; dogs with three or even two legs.
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| BRUCE BISHOP / CHRONICLE PHOTOS |
| Above, Angel is held by Deborah Parker of St. Francis Animal Sanctuary of Vermilion. Below, X-rays at the Avon Lake Animal Clinic revealed the dog actually suffered a developmental problem that split her leg in two. |
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But never had she sheltered — or, in fact, even seen — a five-legged dog.
Until she met Angel.
Angel — so dubbed by Parker for her sweet disposition — is a sight to behold.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Frank Krupka, a veterinarian at the Avon Lake Animal Clinic.
After examining the X-rays, Krupka determined that a genetic aberration split Angel’s front left leg in two, leaving her with three normal legs and two distinct parts of a fourth.
“It doesn’t give her any discomfort,” Krupka assured, but it does give her some problems moving around. In that regard, at least, Angel is more like a three-legged dog than a five-legged one. She walks solely on her three normal legs, with no help from her two affected ones, which are too short to reach the ground.
Krupka said that they will almost certainly not operate on Angel, who, he estimated, is about 7 months old. “It wouldn’t do any good,” he said. They could remove one or both parts of the affected limb, but it would only be cosmetic, he said.
And it might, in fact, be detrimental.
“She uses it as a prop,” Parker said, “I’d hate to remove it and make her into a complete tripod.”
So, instead, Angel will stay exactly as she was born.
She was found roaming the roads of a tiny rural community in the southernmost reaches of
“It’s strange that, in a town where everyone knows everyone, no one would step up and claim this dog,” Parker said.
So, after sitting unclaimed in a pound for five days, Angel was set to be euthanized.
But, Parker — who has a history of housing doomed dogs — was contacted, and she agreed to give Angel a home in Vermilion where she will remain until Parker finds a suitable home.
Angel’s 12-hour odyssey from
“I’m sure somebody will adopt her,” Parker said. “She’ll be a great pet for anybody.”
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One might assume that after a difficult seven months — she was found with a skin condition and scarred ears — and a long journey, that Angel might exhibit a lack of trust or affection.
But Angel craves attention and is friendly and even-tempered.
“This is how she was born,” Krupka said. “This is normal for her. She just needs someone who will be attentive to her needs.”
Parker said she will be sad to see Angel go. “She is absolutely one of the best dogs I’ve ever had.”
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Filed by NorthCoastNOW April 1st, 2008 in Local and State.
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