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Puppy Prosthetics: Dogs With No Front Legs Get Rolling (Plus: See a Piglet Using a ‘Wheelchair’)

Mar. 5, 2013 11:15am Liz Klimas

Two toy fox terrier puppies born without front legs due to inbreeding practices would in many cases be euthanized. Not only were the brother and sister’s lives spared, but a prosthetics company has outfitted them with custom wheels to aid in mobility.

Now, the pups are looking for a home.

Terriers Without Front Legs Use Prosthetic Carts to Move Around Plus Piglet With Wheelchair

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

According to the Today show, a Washington-based company created carts that support the front chests of Honey and Badger and have wheels that act in place of front legs.

Prior to the carts, Today reported, the pair “hopped like rabbits.” When the prosthetics became an option, the dogs trained for them by learning to doggy paddle in a swimming pool.

Honey and Badger without their prosthetic carts. (Photo: Valhalla Canine Rescue)

“They did need to get the swimming motion down so that they could start putting their hips in the right formation,” Valhalla Canine Rescue worker Patti Mauldin said to Today’s Dylan Dreyer.

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Watch Today’s footage of the dogs:

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The pair are up for adoption at Valhalla Canine Rescue in Graham, Wash., but Mauldin told KOMO News last week they are “terribly bonded” and that “breaking them up is really not an option.”

Mauldin has expressed that she hopes the pups might someday be therapy dogs for someone else who might be disabled as well.

Watch KOMO’s report:

Here is Honey and Badger on their first test drive of the wheels in November 2012:

See more pictures of Honey and Badger here.

Now, if you found the terriers’ story touching, as a bonus, here’s the video of a handicapped piglet named “Chris P. Bacon” that uses a wheelchair fashioned out of K’Nex:

This is the original video of Chris P. Bacon and his wheelchair uploaded to YouTube by Dr. Len Lucero in January:

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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Comments (15)

LaBelle
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 7:14pm
Awww, I wish I could take them. My husband would kill me if I got another pooch though. :-/

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teddyc73
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:09pm
I’m absolutely loving these dogs. What a couple of cuties. Good for them.

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KyleD
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 2:27pm
These aren’t humans, they’re animals. They don’t benefit from extending their lives unnaturally, just put them down instead of making them live like this. I can kind of understand it if their owners did this to them but they don’t even have owners, they’re just strays. Who on earth paid for this and isn’t willing to take them in?

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- Stoic one
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 2:50pm
  A prosthetic company!, (in the article) free of charge; also known as a donation. I live on the other side of the country; i would drive a couple of hundred miles to adopt such a pair of adorable creatures.
  
  FYI major advances in human medicine are FIRST perfected in veterinary medicine.
  
  We are stewards of this planet and ALL creatures. Many of us have compassion for lives such as those two. YOU may not – I and others do.
  
  Please do not be so quick to condemn private acts of charity that you have no feelings for or towards.
  
  Report this comment
- tonypro
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:27pm
  @KyleD
  “These aren’t humans, they’re animals.”
  
  Funny…….that’s exactly what the gooberment is saying about you.
  
  Report this comment
- teddyc73
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:08pm
  You’re rather heartless. Did you even read the article. They look pretty happy to me. Animals are very adaptive. I would take them in.
  
  Report this comment
- rvsample
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 5:49pm
  these animals have a greater right to life than do humans. the human monster created them with their greed. perhaps the breeder should have their legs severed.
  
  Report this comment
- kindling
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 8:07pm
  I have one birth child that was injured during birth. Because of that I adopted others such children. I read that there are people in governments around the world saying these kids should be let to die. If you have not had kids like these in your life you may not know what joy they bring. Yes, they are more work, and worry, but I have “normal” kids too and I can say they each teach the other very important lessons that make us good people. These dogs teach the same thing and it is not harming the dogs so I say let them be an inspiration to others.
  
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 1:52pm
Anything to help our 4 legged friends.

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perry1980
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 12:01pm
Those sweet babies. I would take them both

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Dishevel
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:56am
I have a Dachshund that at 3 and a half blew out a disk in his back.
While recovering from surgery at the vet blew out another.
After 2 surgeries he no longer has use of his back legs. Still a good dog though. We have a wheelchiar for him but he can not be in it too long or he develops sores. So he also spends time in some up armored pants and he gets to run around naked a bit every day as well.

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woodyee
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:55am
I hope they’ve been spayed/neutered…wouldn’t want them inbreeding…

“Bama-phone! Keep Obama in Presdnet, you know? He gave us a phone…gone do MORE!”

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jimay
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:44am
The salesman says, “So why does the pig have only three legs?”
And the farmer replies “With a pig that great it would be a shame to eat him all at once.”

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Popp40
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:31am
Hope they know those prosthetics will be taxed under Obamacare

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pandora665
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:26am
They are so dang cute, it shouldn’t be too hard to place the little guys in a good home.

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