Sapphyre Johnson, a small girl from Tennessee who had both of her feet amputated at the age of one, has made a wonderful new buddy in Lt. Dan, a white German Shepherd puppy missing a paw.
Sapphire was born with a congenital abnormality that caused her to have missing digits and necessitated the amputation of both of her feet. Doctors at Shriners Hospital For Children in Greenville, South Carolina, performed numerous procedures on her when she was three months old to fit her with prosthetic feet.
Lt. Dan was nine weeks old when Sapphyre adopted him. He was the only puppy in a litter of nine born without a front paw. Due to the puppy’s disabilities, breeders advised Lt. Dan’s owner, Karen Riddle, to euthanize him.
She, on the other hand, refused to give up on him and decided to find the dog home with a special needs owner who would be a suitable match for the pup.
Fortunately, Riddle contacted Shriners Hospital, where she discovered about Sapphire. She knew Lt. Dan would fit in perfectly with Sapphyre and that the two would form an unbreakable relationship. The Johnsons felt that L.t Dan would be a great addition to their home.
“When I initially showed her a picture of the dog, she looked at it for a moment and exclaimed, ‘That’s my pet.'” ‘He’s exactly like me,'” According to Elaine Hardin, a Shriner’s child life specialist. “He’s a special dog going to a special youngster.”
When the two initially met, they instantly became great friends. Sapphire adored Lieutenant Dan, and the two developed a particular bond.
Fate brought these two together, and we hope that the dog will assist Sapphyre in explaining her impairments to other youngsters and that Sapphylle will feel more confident in her life. When Lt. Dan grows tall enough to match Sappyhyre’s prophesied legs, the Shriners have volunteered to construct him a prosthetic foot as well.
