A new leash on life: three legged dog gets prosthetic leg

Three-legged dog gets prosthetic Good Samaritans have raised enough money to buy a three-legged pooch a prosthetic leg.

BEAVER BANK, N.S. - After having his paw amputated earlier this year, Falkor the dog is learning to walk on all fours again -- one paw at a time.

Falkor lost his leg after getting it stuck in a snare, his mom Chelsea Kruck says the incident hasn’t slowed him down at all.

“He doesn't pay any mind to it honestly. He just kind of goes around, he hops around, he doesn't even notice it. It doesn't bother him at all,” Kruck tells CTV news.

But this week, Falkor got a new leash on life thanks to the non-profit organization Wise Group who fundraised five hundred dollars on his behalf, gifting him with a new prosthetic leg.

Although Falkor didn’t seem to mind his three-legged life, Kruck knows the prosthetic will help in in the long run, and she says she couldn’t be more excited for him.

“Once he actually starts walking on it, I'm going to cry for sure. That's going to fill my heart with joy,” she said.

The prosthetic was made by Jeff Collins who owns the company K9 Orthotics and Prosthetics and has helped hundreds of dogs just like Falkor.

Collins is a self-described dog lover, who also happens to have a prosthetic leg himself. He says the similarity helps build trust with the dogs he tries to help.

“A lot of dogs, they look at both my legs, sniff my legs, and they're like what is this? And some of them, when I take my prosthesis off in front of them, then they get it,” said Collins.

Collins strapped Falker into his new leg on Friday, his first steps were a bit awkward as Falker was unaware of the weight that could be put on his new leg, but Collins says it’s all part of the learning process.

“With dogs, it's a natural response, and it's hard to tell them not to do that,” said Collins, “So you've physically got to grab a hold of them and let them know that you can put the leg down, you can walk. Physically helping them lets them see that ‘hey, this ain’t so bad’.”

After just a few attempts and a few treats for encouragement, Falker has nearly mastered his new leg.

It was a big day, for one lucky dog.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron-Cadloff.