Jumping on her two hind legs, this happy poodle moves more like a kangaroo than a dog after losing her front legs in a car crash.
The pup named Cora Rose was destined for euthanasia after her legs and pelvis were shattered in the accident in Stockton, California last year.
But Zach Skow, 39, and his wife Heather, 32, rescued her from an animal shelter and paid $10,000 for life-saving medical treatment.
The determined pooch at first used a cart to get around but now spends most of her time bouncing around on her hind legs.
Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest.
‘Dogs can bounce back so quickly – she jumps, hops, all day long – she’s very strong.
‘She’s so resilient. Her quality of life is through the roof – losing her two front legs hasn’t starved her of anything.’
The couple first came across Cora Rose at the City of Stockton Animal Shelter in California, where staff were considering euthanasia after the December 2017 crash.
When they rescued Cora Rose, she had one leg in a cast and was suffering an osteo infection in the other, caused by bone protruding through the skin turning septic.
Mr Skow, who has four other dogs and cares for 115 through his charity Marley’s Mutts, said: ‘Of all our dogs, Cora Rose is the happiest’
After the operation, it took two months for the poodle to heal and then she could finally use her cart to get around
Mr Skow, who has a six-month-old daughter, said: ‘That kind of infection is like cancer for dogs.
‘The leg needed to be amputated immediately. One leg at a time had to be amputated, because she would have been under anaesthesia for too long if we had done both.
‘After surgery, she had a hard time because she still had a shattered hip and still couldn’t move properly.
‘It took two months to heal, and then she could finally use her cart to get around.’
Now, seven months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened.
Mr Skow says Cora Rose and the other pups rescued him from alcoholism.
Now, several months after the surgery in March this year, sprightly Cora Rose is hopping around like nothing happened
He founded Marley’s Mutts in 2009 and says the animals are what helped him get sober.
Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, said: ‘I had cirrhosis of the liver and needed a transplant.
‘My weight dropped from 183 lbs to 140 lbs, my skin was yellow and I had to use a catheter.
‘I had fantasized about ways of taking my own life. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. I looked like an old man.
‘One day I was weeping and crying when I looked back to see my dogs looking at me.
‘It made me realize that I was still the leader of their pack. They could still see the man inside.
‘The next day I started walking with them. Everywhere I went I had dogs with me.
‘Walking with the dogs meant I became healthy enough to undergo a liver transplant, but six months later doctors told me I didn’t even need one any more.
‘I never set out to be a dog rescuer, but they saved me.
‘Now we rescue hundreds of dogs a year. It’s the most heartwarming thing you can do.’
Mr Skow, who also has a pig, horse and cat, took in Cara Rose (pictured after the operation)Continue Reading
‘Save our beautiful bullies’: The dog lovers fighting to save American XLs as government ban approaches
They’ve never ever done anything wrong,” one woman says of her three XL bully dogs. “We’ve owned bull breeds for 10 years and they’ve never put a foot wrong, we’ve never had altercations in public, we have had nothing but a positive experience.”
Heather Halls and her husband Chris have spent the past few weeks in disbelief after Rishi Sunak announced in September that American XL bully dogs would be banned in the UK following a spate of high-profile attacks and fatalities.
Not only do three of their family dogs fall into this category, but Chris is a professional dog trainer specialising in bulldog breeds, meaning that their entire livelihood is now at stake. They also compete in the Protection Sports Association, by which two of their XL bullies have been awarded titles.
“Essentially, our whole world and what we’ve worked towards in the last few years is about to get flipped on its head,” says Heather.
The couple have now joined forces with other XL bully owners to launch an official campaign to challenge the government’s stance, with more than £86,000 raised in a matter of days to support legal action.
Campaigners from Don’t Ban Me – Licence Me are asking the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to rethink their plans and are fundraising for a judicial review.
Poor breeding to blame for XL bullies attacking people, says dog trainer
With the support of their barrister John Cooper KC, they sent a warning of their intention to launch legal action to the environment secretary Therese Coffey last Thursday, as they hope to scrap the planned ban in favour of tightened laws around breeding and ownership.
Under new legislation, it will be illegal to sell, breed or abandon an XL bully-type dog from 31 December, while it will be an offence to own one from 1 February 2024 unless it is registered to the government’s database, the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Once their animal is registered, owners will have to abide by strict regulations, which include keeping their dogs muzzled and on a lead at all times in public, having them neutered and microchipped, and having to carry a certificate of exemption at all times to show police officers or council dog wardens.
Alongside descriptions of head size and physical features, the government has defined an American XL bully as an adult male from 20in in height, or an adult female from 19in. However, given that XL bullies have never been defined as an official breed, this has confused owners of cross-breeds such as mastiffs and mongrels.
The decision to ban the breed came after deaths relating to XL bully attacks, including those of 10-year-old Jack Lis and 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch. Two people were injured in recent days in Mansfield by a suspected XL bully, while one report holds the breed responsible for nearly 50 per cent of all dog attacks in the UK.
Charities with the banned breed in their care will now receive £100 compensation for euthanising an XL bully, while owners will get £200 compensation if a vet euthanises their dog.
Speaking to The Independent, Sophie Coulthard, an organiser of the campaign group, says: “The problem with this knee-jerk reaction is that it won’t stop dog attacks. We need to focus on licensing and educating owners, with compulsory training and tougher punishments to prevent people from impulse-buying dogs.”
Sophie has owned her XL bully, Billy, for the last year, and has developed a following on TikTok by posting educational videos of his training as well as details of the proposed ban.
“One thing we’ve found is that people are really misinformed on the full impact of the ban,” she says. “What the government is asking me to do is look at their guidelines and commit him to a life on the muzzle, not go on holidays with him, have him muzzled in the car.
“There’d be no more playing with a toy in the park, anyone in social housing could lose their housing or their dog, you can no longer hire private fields to take dogs off the lead. It is really reducing the quality of life for these dogs.”
The group is arguing for the UK to take a similar approach to Canada’s Calgary model, an educational, licensing and stronger enforcement programme that has successfully reduced the number of dog bites by 70 per cent.
“I understand there’s been attacks, and I fully sympathise with anyone who has been a victim, because it’s horrific,” Heather says. “Dog ownership is a complete and utter mess, and people got these dogs in lockdown and haven’t socialised them or trained them. My son was bitten by a dachshund that shot out of a front door, so it’s not just XL bullies.
“Licensing is the right way forward. It’s proven to work in other countries and you can’t ignore the evidence that it works.”
Since the announcement, her five-year-old son panics each time he hears a siren, out of fear that police officers will arrive to take his dogs away. “Our dogs are our family pets,” says Heather. “I’ll do anything to keep my dogs safe. I will fight with my last breath.”
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