Victory the Chihuahua mix was found on the streets of Dearborn, MI, a few weeks ago, according to TODAY.com. Dumped, it would seem — it’s unlikely a dog like this would be out on the streets for long. She has a condition called radial hemimelia, which means that some bones in her front legs are missing.
Victory looks very much like a baby kangaroo.
The small dog has to sort of hop and hobble to get around, but don’t think Victory can’t get the job done. At the Dearborn Animal Shelter, she is as quick and eager as any Chihuahua — that is to say, very quick and eager. Victory scampers around like she has already won the race and needs to greet each fan individually, like any self-respecting Chihuahua named Victory would.
“We thought that she needed some name that really described how she looked at life and the fact that she survived when many animals with deformities don’t,” Elaine Greene, executive director of Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, told TODAY.com. “She has such a wonderful personality and spirit that we felt she’s been victorious over what could be barriers that stand in her way.”
And now Victory is getting a few tools to help her along. While there is no surgical solution to her condition, there are orthopedic devices. Three of them — costing $2,000. That number was way too high for the Dearborn Animal Shelter, but after it mentioned Victory in its newsletter and the local news got hold of it, the money poured in.
The total is at $7,000 now, and it’s coming from all over the country.
“We really appreciated the response,” Greene said. “We were so surprised by how quickly the news traveled. Within a few days we were getting calls from all over the United States, and even the Philippines.”
Soon, Victory will have three new pieces of gear to help her get around: a protective vest, a sled-like thing for carpet sliding, and a set of wheels for the outdoors.
One thing she won’t get just yet is adopted. The shelter plans to wait until Victory figures out her new tools before she moves on.
“We’re all very attached to her, and she to us, so we’re looking for a very special situation,” Greene said. “Right now she’s acclimating fine in my household, but I don’t know that’s the right choice for her. I know it’s going to break my heart when she leaves.”
“I would really like her to get a job working with people with disabilities,” she said. “If I could find a way to add that into her new life, that would be great.”
Via TODAY.com.
