23 July 2009

A Dog's Life -- Five Legs


This is a great story with a reasonably happy ending. I have never been a big fan of freak shows or side show alley at the local fair or circus. There was always something that bothered me about paying money to view someone or something who was a little different from me; a special attribute that I did not possess.

About six weeks ago this cute as a puppy, puppy was born. It was born with a real interesting distinguishing feature, a fifth leg. The owner of the dog was contacted by John Strong, a Coney Island, New York, Side Show owner. Strong's claim to fame is a side show that features disfigured animals. The owner of the dog is supposed to have agreed to sell the puppy for USD 3000 to Strong, and Strong claims that he paid a USD 1000 deposit to secure the dog. Fortunately, that deposit has been repaid and the puppy has been sold to someone else for USD 4000.

The plan is to get the extra leg, on the chihuahua-terrier cross puppy, removed. The surgery is listed for the coming week and is expected to cost a further USD 2000. However, once the extra leg is removed vets are expecting that the little one, now named Lilly, will make a full recovery and lead a normal dog's life. Lilly is expected to live out her days somewhere in North Carolina.

I went to university in North Carolina, UNC-Chapel Hill. So, this is a story from my third home.

All's well that ends well.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

On line doing a little research about the extra leg on a canine. Today my Toy Poodle underwent a C-Section. First pregnancy. There was only one puppy. The female puppy was of normal gestation and proper weight. Alive at birth. Severely deformed. She has 2 rectums. 3 normal legs, one club foot longated leg, and 2 legs coming out of her body where her tail belongs. No tail. She is also missing the lower section of her spine. Have you heard any reason for this? The stud dog we used has had many normal litters with other girls.