Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, May 8, 2014
(MUNCIE) - The video of two puppies born without their front legs is capturing hearts and helping the woman who rescued them raise money to make their lives better.
Kelley Stewart, who owns a pet-sitting business, rescued the dogs after learning they were dumped at a home in Muncie.
Now, she hopes to get wheelchairs to protect their bodies.
Just watching them hop and dart and bounce through the park, like little kangaroos, you can't help but smile at these puppies.
What the five-month-old Chihuahuas are missing, they more than make up for in spirit.
"Oh, do they have energy," Stewart said. "Everything is fine except their legs and they don't know they don't have legs!"
"They've adapted perfect. They don't know the difference. They're fast. They play just fine," added Jalen Duncan, who adopted one of the dogs.
But how Sonny and Maddie "Roo" got to this point, is heartbreaking. Stewart says someone dumped the dogs on a front porch in Muncie. Her friend found them abandoned because they were born without their front legs and nursed them back to health.
"They were victims of improper breeding, I think," Stewart said. "After my friend asked me for help, I took Sonny and she took Maddie."
"She's my little kangaroo dog! That's why I nicknamed her 'Roo'," Duncan said. "She doesn't know she has a problem. She lives life just like anyone else."
But their disability could pose a health danger in the future. That's why their rescuers are raising money to make the dogs more mobile. Stewart and Duncan want to buy them wheels.
"Every time he jumps and Every time, he hits his nubs on the ground," Stewart explained. "He will just irritate that skin over and over every time he hits the ground and also his chest."
"And her back is bent already and I just don't want her to be like that permanently if I can get her a wheelchair," Duncan said.
Facebook videos of the puppies already led to enough donations for Maddie's wheelchair. Now, they're working on Sonny's.
Generosity has come from across the country - from Pennsylvania to Florida to Texas.
"There's still people out there who are willing to help. You don't see a lot of that anymore," Duncan said. "It's exciting. Be a whole new life for Maddie!"
Just watching them, it's easy to see their lives are already full of boundless energy, no matter what's missing.
To donate to help Stewart buy a second wheelchair, visit her Muncie Pet Sitter website.
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