Puppy born without foot to get bionic implant (VIDEO)

A dog born without a foot will soon become "the world's smallest bionic pet" after a procedure to fit the pooch with a prosthetic, titanium foot is completed.

The chihuahua—named "Peggy Leg"—was adopted from a shelter in Roswell, N.M., by a local chihuahua rescue group.

"When we were told about this program it was unbelievable," Mary Jewell of Enchantment Chihuahua Rescue told New Mexico's KOAT-TV. "It was like, 'Oh my gosh, she is going to be a bionic dog, with a bionic leg.'"

The group contacted researchers at North Carolina State University, which offered to do the bionic implant for free. (The rescue group is raising money to cover Peggy's travel expenses.)

"If she didn't get the procedure done," KOAT reported, "she would have to have her leg amputated because the weight of it puts too much pressure on her spine."

The procedure, while rare in the United States, is increasingly common in Europe.

In 2011, Mitzi—a 3-year-old German Shepherd whose rear foot had to be amputated after she was trampled by a horse—became the world's first dog to be fitted with a prosthetic ankle, according to the Daily Mail.