Hello everyone!

I’d like you all to meet Lucy: my first 3-legged dog (first dog of my own actually)! Lucy is an 11-month old border collie/lab mix and was rescued off a reservation in South Dakota. When they found her, she was dragging her front right leg creating a lot of scrapes and scabs on her paw. After she was brought to Minnesota, Lucy went to the vet to see what could be done about her leg, but they decided that it was best if they amputated it. After her surgery, Lucy went to a foster home through a local rescue shelter and waited for her forever home.

I came across Lucy (Bonnie at the time), in an email that sends me new dogs available for adoption that sort of fit my criteria. For the record, I did not have 3-legged dogs as a part of my criteria, but I’m sure glad she showed up anyway! As soon as I saw a picture of Lucy, I knew she was the dog for me. I went to meet her at a foster meet-and-greet and adopted her the very same day. Since she still had her left leg, I figured Lefty Lucy would be a perfect fit.

Since bringing Lucy home, she has been having a lot of fun playing with my parent’s dogs and becoming house-trained. Coming from a reservation, she is still getting used to living indoors and having toys and real food. She loves loves loves the snow and being outdoors, so we get to play a game where I let her outside to go to the bathroom, and she just lays down and rolls around in the snow. Cute, but not when it’s -5 degrees and I’m in a t-shirt. Her second favorite game is making me chase her around the house when it’s bed time. Lucy hates bed time. But as soon as I manage to get her up to my room, she’s quick to jump on my bed and cuddle until she goes to sleep on her dog bed.

As a new dog mom, I’m learning the ways of puppy training and keeping her as healthy as possible. Having 3 legs hasn’t slowed Lucy down one bit, but I’m sure there’s still a lot for me to learn. If you’ve ever had a 3-legged fur baby I’d love to hear about your experiences and any advice you have!

Until next time,

Karlie & Lucy