Dog whose legs were sliced off for chewing shoes gets new prosthetics & lease on life

If you think animal abuse in America is bad, imagine how commonplace it is in countries with little to no animal rights laws or consequences.

Cola, a pup from Thailand, endured a nightmare when he was only nine months old. He chewed a pair of his neighbor’s shoes (as puppies do). Although his owner offered the neighbor money to reimburse him for the damage, the man came back with a sword and attacked the dog, slicing off his two front legs. (As for the attacker’s punishment? “The man was issued one month’s detention for the crime,” reports ABC News.)

The pup began to bleed out from the two gaping wounds, and barely alive, was taken to a clinic. He was then transported to a larger vet in Bangkok, where they were able to help him recover.

Video: Dog who had legs cut off for chewing neighbour's shoes walks again thanks to prosthetics

Lucky for Cola, he was eventually taken into the care of a Thailand-based rescue called Soi Dog Foundation, who outfitted the now-one-year-old dog (presumed to be a German Shepherd) with a new pair of legs! A video of Cola’s fitting went viral, and it’s easy to see why: rescue workers can barely get the prosthetics onto this sweet boy without receiving a face full of kisses!

Take a look:

Video: Dog who had legs cut off for chewing neighbour's shoes walks again thanks to prosthetics

“One minute, Cola!”

As it turns out, the fun-loving and energetic Cola is a fast learner.

Video: Dog rescued strangling on embedded wire saved

“He had wheels at first, just to keep him moving and get him going to allow the wounds to properly heal,” John Dalley, who co-founded the Soi Dog Foundation with wife Gill, told ABC. “He managed to adapt to walking on his back legs only kangaroo-fashion, but with [prosthetic] legs on is able to run and play.

Look at him go!

Not only has Cola gotten two new limbs, he’s found his forever home, with the capable and loving Dalley family! As it turns out, Gill and Cola bonded immediately over a shared trauma: she too is double amputee, the result of a bacterial infection she contracted in 2004 during a dog rescue in a flooded field.

Mr. Dalley explained that, while tragic, stories like Cola’s are all too common in Thailand. “Dogs come in every week with machete attacks — it is common to have those long machetes that are used for cutting grass, so we have dogs coming in with legs hacked off, but rarely two legs,” he said in the story. “It doesn’t shock us anymore, sadly.”

As for Cola, this sweet and deserving pup can enjoy the rest of his days in a safe and doting home. And thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Dalley, thousands of dogs, just like Cola, have been rescued, rehabilitated, and re-homed. What an amazing couple!

If you’d like to save the life of a dog overseas, the Soi Dog Foundation helps facilitate the adoptions of their dogs into forever homes world-wide, for a very reasonable cost. If you’d like to donate to help dogs like Cola, click here.

Video: Dog amputated in sword attack receives prosthetic legs

(Original story: ABC News)

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