Thumbelina is a princess who is on the prowl for her lost kingdom.
After a tumultuous voyage from Texas to New York City, the rescue dog is on the lookout for the ideal forever home. This canine’s journey begins just outside of Dallas, where Heart and Bones — a foster-based rescue organization with offices in both Texas and New York City — took her in after she was surrendered to Stone Creek Vet, a veterinarian practice located in a rural region just outside of the city.
“Due to her malformed front legs, they were able to rapidly detect that she was unable to fully utilize them. They’re just a few sentences long. She has paws, but she is unable to utilize them in the manner in which a dog would ordinarily use their front paws “Thumbelina’s owner, Allison Seelig of Hearts and Bones, tells PEOPLE about what the veterinarian discovered when he first met her.
“So they hypothesized that the reason she’s like that is probably due to reckless breeding techniques, and that her legs must have been some type of genetic abnormality that she was just born with,” says the author.
Thumbelina’s previous owner is no longer able to care for the dog; nevertheless, Heart and Bones is certain that there is someone out there who would enjoy having a friend like this “super” special needs canine. Thumbelina was roughly one year old when she first met Hearts and Bones, so she had plenty of time to explore the world before they met.
During that period, the husky/German shepherd mix learned how to navigate her environment by walking on the backs of her paws, despite the fact that her front legs were shorter. Thumbelina’s self-taught walking style, as discovered on a visit to the veterinarian, has the potential to cause her severe health difficulties in the future.
“She had been moving about mostly by crawling on her front legs and utilizing her rear legs for a year and had grown fairly competent at it at that point. She’ll sit on her rear legs, much like a meerkat, and eat her food “Seelig explains further.
“She was very comfortable with her movement in this manner. The worry from our veterinarian partner was that the amount of wear and tear on her front arms over time might result in injuries since she isn’t walking on paw-pads. She’s walking on a thick layer of fur.
They were also concerned that she was being pushed down at an unusual angle, which was placing a lot of strain on her front body, which they feared may lead to spinal concerns in the future “The animal rescuer goes on to say more.
So, when Thumbelina was adopted by Hearts and Bones in the spring, the rescue gathered the funds necessary to provide the dog with a bright pink wheelchair that would allow her to move about securely while using her back legs to walk around.
After moving into the Dallas home of Heart and Bones’ founder for a crash training in how to walk while in a wheelchair, Thumbelina learned how to walk again.
Thumbelina was able to swiftly learn her new wheels with the assistance of her friends, and she made numerous new friends in the process. The rescue’s founder felt sure that Thumbelina could traverse the world with her wheelchair in early August, so Hearts and Bones transported the dog from Texas — where many shelters are overburdened and congested — to New York City in order to prepare her for adoption.
As soon as Thumbelina arrived in New York City, she was taken in by pet foster Megan Penney, who claims that Thumbelina is her 200th foster pup. Patty Penney is presently caring for the dog, and she has nothing but positive things to say about the dog, who has made even more progress in managing her wheelchair and associating with other dogs, including Penney’s own pups, in recent months.
Thumbelina has been to the beach, the park, and the streets of New York City, and she has captivated everyone she has encountered throughout her journey. She is now awaiting the arrival of her ‘forever family.’
When it comes to Thumbelina’s adoption, Seeling thinks she’ll do well in any house as long as the family is patient with her. She also warns that prospective owners should be aware that the dog will be a little hesitant at first.
Penney, who is familiar with the requirements of caring for Thumbelina, says that owning a special needs pet is not as difficult as some people believe. Thumbelina’s adopters should be able to lift 42 pounds, since the canine requires assistance getting in and out of her wheelchair, and they should live in a house with an elevator, ramp, or flat surface to accommodate the canine.
Except for the above-mentioned factors, Penney claims that care for Thumbelina is identical to caring for a dog with fully developed front legs. Thumbelina recently made a special trip to New York City’s Squeaky Clean Dog Grooming in order to be ready for her new home.
Fortunately, a pet care firm, Pride + Groom, paid the cost of her spa day and even donated items for the canine’s makeover. One of the items utilized was Pride + Groom’s The One Fur All conditioning shampoo, which was created with the intention of being given to animal rescues and animal shelters.
Thumbelina is now completely prepared to begin the next chapter of her life with her permanent family, and she couldn’t be happier. People who believe Thumbelina is the pup princess they’ve been looking for may apply to adopt her via the Hearts and Bones rescue organization’s online adoption application.
The organization hopes that folks who are not in a position to adopt an animal at this time may consider fostering one instead.
“Even if you can just commit to fostering for two to three weeks, you will be able to truly save the life of a dog. Because there isn’t enough room in the shelters to care for all of the dogs that are now in need of homes. Furthermore, the greater the number of individuals who sign up to foster, the fewer dogs we have to keep in shelters “According to Seeling.
Because they are used to live in a house at that age, they have a greater chance of finding an adoptive family. It’s also very beneficial in terms of relieving burden on animal rescue organizations.
As Penney points out, “You simply have to realize that even your studio apartment is much more pleasant than a concrete cage at an animal sanctuary.”
