It seemed like when Starfish the dog was found, it seemed like there was no hope for her.
When she was found by a Good Samaritan it was believed that she had been crushed.
The puppy was found inside of a box but in an unnatural angle.
Still, the Good Samaritan rushed her to the veterinarian just to see if there was anything that could be done.
After examining the dog, the vet determined that there was nothing that could be done.
She would have to be put to sleep. Starfish was seconds away from being put down when the head of the animal shelter stepped in.
“One of the technicians had the needle in her hand, in complete tears. They were told the dog was crushed and had to be put down. The head of the shelter walked in and said ‘We’re going to get a second opinion this is a different story,'” Starfish’s future mom, Leigh Anne Gray, said.
They took the vet to a different vet.
The shelter director’s instincts were correct.
This veterinarian not only told them that Starfish could be saved but that she could actually be cured.
The puppy was diagnosed with something called “Swimmer Puppy Syndrome.”
It causes the legs to fan out instead of standing upright and forces the dog’s belly to the ground.
This makes the dog kind of look like a starfish which is how this pop got her name.
With a little training, Starfish could be taught to walk right.
She would just need a harness that she could be pulled up by until her legs became strong enough to stand on her own.
“You couldn’t pick her up like you would a normal puppy,” Leigh Anne said.
“You had to hold her sideways, and she was flat like a pancake.”
It wasn’t long before Starfish capture the heart of her new mom.
“When I saw Starfish I just attached so quickly,” she said
So, Leigh Anne had no qualms about helping Starfish to overcome her disability.
“All we had to do was to get her feet up underneath her,” Leigh Anne said. “And as soon as we got her onto the grass, she had a little something to hold onto, she’d follow us anywhere.”
In fact, Leigh Anne was inspired by Starfish’s perseverance.
“The fact that she works at it so hard gives me hope. She doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with her. She just gets up and does it again. And gets better, just a little bit, every single day.”
It only took two months for Starfish to be able to stand on her on.
And it wasn’t long after that until she was able to run and play like any other dog.
“That determination, that excitement for life, was missing for me. And I feel lucky that she came our way,” Leigh Anne said.
Learn more about Starfish’s inspiring story in the video below.
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