Saturday, July 11, 2009

Three-legged sheep

I've seen three-legged dogs, but I don't think I've ever seen a sheep with a limb short. And I've certainly never seen one in a wheelchair.
All of the animals [at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Kendalia] have a special story about how they came to live at the rescue. There's a blind cow, a goat with floppy legs that walks on his knees, a longhorn who nearly ended up mounted on his former owner's wall, and then there's Wylie, the 3-legged sheep.

"A predator had gotten hold of him and he lost one of his legs," said rescue founder Lynn Cuny telling the story of how Wylie arrived at the ranch.

Wylie was just a lamb at the time, but his back right leg was beyond repair.

"An amputation had taken place and he was just not doing well," Cuny said.

She and her staff nursed Wylie back to health, but it became clear he would likely never be able to walk. They were faced with two options, euthanize an otherwise healthy animal or find a way to make his life easier. Cuny chose not give up and began an exhaustive search to find a way to help Wylie get around. The search led to New York where they found a company that makes customized carts for disabled animals. Measurements were taken and casts were made for leg braces. In a few weeks, the cart arrived at the ranch.

...

The cart wasn't cheap, it cost the rescue around $2,000, but seeing how it has changed the sheep's life makes it worth every penny to Cuny.

"It took a lot to do it but every life is worth saving," Cuny said. "His life is certainly diminished because he's not out there just roaming around freely but he wants to live."
(from KSAT-12)



Would this be a bad time to say how much I love lamb chops?

No comments: