When a brindle colored pit bull, named Cole, was born, no one imagined life would hand him an unfair hand of cards. You see, this lovable dog had a birth defect that left him without his front legs, but despite his disability the canine was full of life and love to give.
Unfortunately his original owners abused him and didn’t think the special needs dog was worth living. At just 6 weeks of age, he was taken to Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC) to be euthanized.
“I had open wounds on my front nubs and my back left paw was chewed on,” said Cole on his Facebook page. “I was missing a toenail and my two toes were fused together causing a pretty nasty infection.”
Fortunately for the pet, the day he was scheduled to be put down a rescue group stepped in to save him.
Rescue Warriors (RW), located in Elgin, Ill., were at CACC when Cole was being prep to be euthanized.
“[RW] saw me being walked into this scary room called the ‘euthanization room.’ They stopped the person holding me and said that they would take me with them,” wrote Cole.
The animal rescue organization networked Cole and found him a loving foster home with Kimberly Boshold. The rescue group also found a wheel cart for the little pup to move freely around the house.
Boshold fell in love with the pet and knew that she couldn’t just foster him. She decided to adopt him, love him, and help him rehabilitate so that he could have a better quality of life than what he had known before.
The two-legged pit bull receives hydrotherapy once a week and a customized therapy program (exercise therapy, massage, and chiropractic work). This helps him strengthen his hind legs and core in order to support himself better. The young dog also has a new all-terrain customized wheelchair he uses while outside or around other dogs.
Cole is just another example that not all dogs require four legs to be happy, healthy and normal. Humans should not decide to end a dog’s life simply because the pet is missing a limb. Love, patience and dedication can conquer anything and help anyone break down barriers – including pets. Most importantly pit bulls like any other breed deserve second and third chances because they are also loving, gentle pets.
“I hope to spread the word that pit bulls are lovers not fighters and that even if a dog is missing limbs that doesn’t mean their life should end,” said Cole. “Every dog deserves a chance at life and by adopting a differently abled dog you are giving them that chance.”
