July 4, 2007 I received a phone call from our local Humane Society to foster a young pup who was in surgery getting his hind leg amputated. It was broken and he'd dragged it around a month before someone took him in, so the bone was infected, necessitating the amputation.
The pup had a high fever and various intestinal parasites among other maladies. Within one day, I was in love with his resiliency, sweetness and gentleness even while I was 'hurting' him while caring for his wounds. Twelve weeks later he was well enough to go up for adoption, and I asked if I could keep him. He filled a huge void left in my life by the passing of our 2 beloved 14-year old chow chows the prior year.
Today, "Roo" (short for "Kangaroo" because he hops) brings smiles and comfort to many, for he's a certified therapy dog. We visit a local hospital, including some of their children's wards, a local assisted living facility and other venues such as occupational therapy centers. When patients see Roo and notice he's missing a leg, many say "If he can do it, so can I!" Roo even demonstrates difficult tasks sometimes, such as climbing stairs in physical therapy rooms, which proves very motivational to patients.
Roo has special gifts which we're thrilled to share with as many people as we can. We'll always be indebted to the receiving and hospital staff at our Humane Society who saw what a special dog Roo was, even as sick as he was.
"Rescue dogs rock!!"
Fort Lauderdale, FL
