Woman Wants to Adopt Guard Dog, Ends Up with Sweet Tripod Beagle

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Two years ago, I was awoken at 2 a.m. by two drunk men pounding on my front door and yelling. I came down the stairs and heard the door open and someone come in. I was on the phone with 911 and screamed for them to get out. The police trespassed them. After that, whenever I heard a noise outside, I panicked. Friends told me to get a gun (I’m a klutz, and also antigun). I began to think about getting a dog for protection.

I went to see a dog I found online at a rescue an hour away. That dog wasn’t a good fit for me, but a sweet beagle mix caught my eye. So did the “housebroken” on her info card. We went outside, she immediately ran to pee, and then came running right up to me. I sat on a bench, she sat next to me. This… was my dog.

The day I adopted her, the rescue told me she had a funny leg, probably from birth. Her right hindquarter was smaller than the rest and she didn’t always use it. It didn’t seem to bother her. At our initial vet visit, we discovered the break. It was at least three-months-old, and the broken end had begun to heal to the middle of the shaft.

She had her first surgery in April; they had to rebreak the bone and pin it. It didn’t go well. Then we did a bone graft in May. In July, she began to limp again, and the x-ray revealed a new break. All this time, Maude continued to walk and play as if her leg were fine.

The specialty vet revealed what I had feared, there was no bone left to repair. It was like powder. We underwent amputation in July. Fortunately, I had a village of people to help me care for her. She healed quickly and continues to run, jump, and play like any other dog. Maude is more of an alarm than a vicious watchdog, but I’ll take that. She is always by my side.

Story submitted by Christine from Orlando, Florida.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!