Australian Cattle Dog With Unfixable Leg Injury Gets Rescued with Only Hours to Spare
When it comes to animal shelters and rescue, there is no job or volunteer position that is "easy." There will always be impossible decisions for someone to make, and there will always be more animals to save. Every animal advocate and rescue worker does all they can to rescue each and every dog they come across, but they have to fight harder for some dogs than others.
One shelter dog named Cricket, for example, was rescued just hours before he was scheduled to be put to sleep. He had been waiting patiently at Dallas Animal Services for someone to help him and his severely injured leg, but the shelter had to make a difficult choice. Fixing his leg, which would likely never fully recover, would be an expensive process, and they were not prepared to foot the bill.
Welcome to Heart and Bones Rescue, Cricket! It's heart-wrenching to imagine what would have happened if someone hadn't reached out about this shelter dog shortly before his final vet appointment, but thankfully, someone did. As soon as Whitney knew about the situation, she knew she had to help him.
Related: Australian Cattle Dog Attempting to Herd Furniture Is Just Too Funny
The Australian Cattle Dog mix had suffered a traumatic leg injury, with part of his leg looking as if it had been 'sliced off.' To make matters worse, he has been walking on the set injury--and now the only solution that is guaranteed to bring him no future pain is amputation. This can be a big adjustment for any dog, but tripod dogs are known to live long and happy lives, too.
Commenter @cspinozzi isn't the only one who's "excited to see his success story." With a little help from his friends, rescue dog Cricket is going to be living his best life! His life is not in danger; his vet has a plan for his leg, and he's already stolen his rescuer's heart!
Adopting a Tripod Dog
Even though Cricket hasn't yet had surgery, he's already learning how to live life as a three-legged dog. Because he doesn't walk on the injury, he's learning not to use that leg, so in his case, the amputation may not phase him much at all. In fact, many tripod dogs are relatively unbothered after healing from their surgery, though it's normal for them to be in some pain or even confusion at first. They'll take it easy for a while, and then they'll be back to their happy-go-lucky selves.
Cricket will likely be adopted following his amputation, but with a dog as cute as he is--you never know! His future adopters will have relatively the same experience as those who adopt dogs with all of their limbs, though a few moments here and there may look a bit different. If you ask me, it would be so worth it to help this sweet, resilient dog find his perfect home.
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