EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn -- This German Shepard has a new leash on life, thanks to a Brooklyn animal shelter, a new prosthetic leg -- and very good luck.
Bleeding and severely injured, 1-year-old Buddy was found tied to the door of an Animal Care Centers of NYC facility in East New York on January 13.
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He had chewed off his foot and part of his ankle after the extremity atrophied. Shelter workers suspect someone had wrapped a rubber band around the pup's leg, cutting of the blood supply.
To save Buddy, the AAC team had two choices: amputation or prosthesis. The shelter investigated prosthesis and learned that his special situation would make the procedure both costly and difficult.
Turns out Buddy's one lucky dog: A generous New Yorker offered to pay for the pup's prosthesis and therapy, and a local veterinary rehabilitator had experience fitting animals with this special prosthesis.
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Dr. Jonathan Block was able to successfully fit pooch's prosthetic Friday, but Buddy will need three weeks of round-the-clock care before he can walk again.
Click here to help Buddy on his road to recovery.