Rescued pit bull whose paw was cut off receives prosthetic leg.
"Lucky" might not be the first word you'd use to describe a dog left abandoned, starving and abused in a rough neighborhood near Miami — a dog whose front paw had been cut off.
But on Wednesday, the year-old pooch trotted happily on her new plastic and carbon-fiber limb, seeming quite pleased with the odd path her life has taken.
In only her first year, "Little" Debbie — a now-65-pound, gray-and-white pit bull named after the snack-food treats — has gone from abused pup to media darling, earning the attention of "Good Morning America," the staff of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and dog-lovers across the country who wanted to help her.
"She's lucky," says Chaya Springer, the 24-year-old Oviedo engineering student who was selected from a pool of applicants to adopt Debbie. "In fact, we're all just lucky that everything worked out. … She's going to be a track star now."
She's also something of a celebrity these days at Orlando's ABC Prosthetics and Orthotics, which has donated its services to Debbie. The place sees her when appointments for human clients have finished for the day.
"When Debbie comes in, everybody here gathers around her and makes a big fuss," says office manager Laurie Saunders, who has a three-legged dog of her own, named Tres. "She is the sweetest girl. All she wants to do is give you kisses."
It's especially noteworthy considering the dog's wretched start in life.
A couple of children playing in a Hialeah neighborhood — where county law prohibits people from owning pit bulls — found Debbie last spring when she was only a couple of months old. She was lying on the ground, her front paw severed, her leg infected, her body gaunt from starvation. The kids carried the pup back to their mother, who bandaged the paw and promptly called Animal Services — which, in turn, took the dog to Michelle Rodriguez, co-founder of 1 Lucky Dog Rescue.
"She was very scared but very sweet," Rodriguez says. "We don't know what happened to her paw, but because it was taken off so cleanly, it looked like it was intentionally cut."
Prosthetics for dogs — and cats and horses and even whales — have been around for more than a decade. But though costs are considerably less than for humans, the fitting and molding still run several hundred to several thousand dollars per device. And a dog is likely to need a series of replacements during its life span, both from changes in weight and normal wear and tear — not to mention errant chewing.
"Because dogs and cats bear about 60 percent of their weight on the front legs, they adapt pretty well to missing a back leg," says Longwood veterinarian Dr. Rick Marrinson. "But if it's a front leg, the problem you have is that eventually the other front leg is going to break down. The joint will likely become arthritic and degenerate from the extra pressure and compensation."
Rodriguez knew this. She also knew that a little media attention on Debbie's predicament might bring the offer of a prosthetic limb that her nonprofit rescue group couldn't otherwise afford.
Around and About Inc. in Plantation answered the call — and by late May, Debbie had her first prosthetic leg. That's when ABC's "Good Morning America" and several Florida stations picked up the story. And that's when Chaya Springer, who happened to be looking for a second pit bull to add to her little family, happened to see it.
Springer and her boyfriend, who were house-hunting at the time, had already adopted an 85-pound pooch named Chopper from the SPCA of Central Florida.
"When I saw this story, I just knew she was perfect," Springer said. "I instantly knew that she was meant to be ours."
But it would take two more months for them to bring Debbie home. First they had to apply. Then they had to drive to Miami for a meet-and-greet, one of about a dozen applicants, and they had to bring along Chopper.
"I instantly loved Debbie, Michael instantly loved Debbie, and Chopper acted like she didn't even exist," Springer said. "I told him, 'You're hurting our chances!'"
He was. Rodriguez worried the dog's aloof reaction might turn to aggression when Debbie moved in on his territory. But after prolonged pleading by Springer, and a move from Plantation to Orlando by a one of the prosthetic fitters on Debbie's team, Rodriguez was swayed.
On July 12, Springer met Rodriguez at a toll plaza along the Florida Turnpike. That night, Chopper curled himself protectively around his new roommate and even shared a toy.
And now, Debbie has her fourth — and perhaps final — prosthetic, at least for a while. ABC donated the labor and new limb, as it has for other dogs. The latest model, with its molded plastic, cushioned liner and hinge-shaped carbon-fiber foot, is worth about $600.
"We just have to watch her when she has it on," Springer says. "We have to make sure she doesn't eat it."
ksantich@tribune.com or 407-420-5503
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