Faith the miracle dog !
By Annie
@Anniedup (3651)
Richards Bay, South Africa
October 6, 2008 9:23am CST
When I received this in my email via the ASPCA,
I just had to share it with my friends.
Even if you are not an animal or dog lover
this is a story that is so inspiring!
Here is the story of Faith please visit her
website and read more about this little
wonderful creature !
There is a lovely video as well
Throughout October, in honor of Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month,
we'll be introducing you to five extraordinary dogs—one
each week—in place of ASPCA Success Stories.
In January 2003, the Stringfellow family of Edmond, OK,
rescued a Lab/chow mix puppy with a severe disability.
Though she had two healthy hind legs, one front leg was
missing and the other was so deformed that it could not
be used and eventually had to be amputated.
When the family saw how the pup got around by lying on
her stomach and pushing herself over the floor, they
were determined to get her to at least sit up.
“We constantly propped her onto her back legs,
” remembers mom Jude Stringfellow. “Mostly she would
tilt and flop back down, but if she sat for a few
seconds, we rewarded her with peanut butter,
which she’ll do anything for."
One day, when she was seven weeks old, the family
took her out into the snow, and the pup, who earned
the name Faith, did something startling—she sprang
up onto her hind legs and hopped toward her family.
“We all went crazy!” recalls Stringfellow. But that
wasn’t the end of it.
By the time she’d reached her three-month birthday,
Faith went farther than hopping—she took her first steps.
“Our corgi nipped her on the heel and she decided to chase
after him,” recalls Stringfellow. “Our jaws dropped as
she stood and literally ran foot over foot!”
Now almost six years old and walking upright everywhere,
Faith has been featured in various newspapers and on
television shows for her fascinating accomplishment.
However, her true calling seems to be to inspire those
with challenges like hers. She’s a therapy dog, and
regularly visits hospitals and spends time with kids
who have disabilities. “We also visit wounded soldiers
as often as we can,” says Stringfellow. “There’s power
behind what Faith does. She shows everyone that you
don't have to be 100-percent complete to be perfect.”
Although a true angel, Faith is still very much a dog.
“She chases geese, steals dirty socks and watches to
see what food we leave on our plates,” says her mom.
But every day, this little hero with a strikingly human
strut reminds her family that she’s not exactly ordinary.
“When she's ready to leave the house, she'll just pop up
and go to the door!” reports Stringfellow. “Some people
think we Photoshop her pictures. Then they meet her and
realize that miracles do happen!”
For more on Faith, visit her website.
http://www.faiththedog.net/
Credit to
ASPCA
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer
1 response
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
7 Oct 08
That is such a lovely story. I am so glad that the puppy found such a loving and caring family and that love has helped her overcome her disability. That is truly inspiring. She is such an amazing dog to have overcome such a sever disability. Thank you for sharing such a lovely story.