Disabled dogs

[Horsefeathers!]

Yeah, right. Does this dog look disabled to you? We went to an outdoor function yesterday and so many people were just amazed that a three legged dog could even walk. If I had a dime for every time someone said they would just put down their dog if it lost its leg, for the sake of being humane and all... :-?

Oh, Peaches was after a squirrel. If you look at that back leg, you can see that she was jumping. She actually managed to snag the squirrel from the tree. :o

[Guest Anonymous]

LOL that is a really cute picture!! LOL

[gooeydog]

Sure doesn't look it to me :lol:

We get the same line with Haley, I just ask them, "does she look to you like she feels handicapped?" Usually that at least gets them thinking, though some are never able to look past it. They want to imagine how they'd feel if it was them, and don't understand that dogs don't function like humans, so "disability" isn't even a concept for them. Adults are usually much worse than kids, who are generally very open minded and accepting of her as she is, though they always have questions en masse.

[JackieMaya]

A friend of mine had a yellow lab who had to have a leg amputated due to bone cancer, and he could run just as fast on three legs as he could on four! But he kind of freaked out some of the horses! LOL

And Pooh Bear has hip dysplasia, and he limps when he walks and trots, but he can run and hop up on the futon and go up stairs with no problem. He's handling his disability better than I am!

[pollysmith]

Wow! she's just wonderful! Why do people feel so sorry for a three-legged dog but have little concern for a handicapped person?

[Crystal]

I saw a three legged dog and TV and got to wondering something. It is easier on them to lose a front leg or a back leg? I know its not easy to lose a leg, but I mean easier to recover and adjust to.

[Horsefeathers!]

JackieMaya napisał(a):

And Pooh Bear has hip dysplasia, and he limps when he walks and trots, but he can run and hop up on the futon and go up stairs with no problem.

Isn't it funny how that works? My two HD dogs are the same way. Tucker (the Lab that had FHO surgery) can run virtually anywhere he wants to go, in short bursts, of course (he ain't no Spring chicken), but limps horribly when he's walking and won't even put that leg down if he's just standing. Devin, the little Lhasa with HD, has virtually no hip sockets and about the worst HD imaginable. However, he can run (or "hop") and jump like you wouldn't believe, but he can barely walk. When he walks, his legs just go all over the place and he sometimes looks drunk.

Weird, that, huh?

It kind of does my heart good to see Peaches out romping and jumping up trees and such. She's such a go-getter and thoroughly enjoys her life. I can't imagine why anyone would think it's more "humane" to put her out of her "misery."

[Horsefeathers!]

Crystal napisał(a):

I saw a three legged dog and TV and got to wondering something. It is easier on them to lose a front leg or a back leg? I know its not easy to lose a leg, but I mean easier to recover and adjust to.

This is just my reasoning, not based on any scientific evidence...

I would tend to think it would be more difficult for a dog to lose a front leg because that's where most of the dog's weight is. They still get around fine, but if I had to think of which is "worse," I'd just imagine it to be the front.

[DogPaddle]

I would never hesitate to adopt a three-legged dog, especially after I saw a video of a 2 legged dog zipping about.