Peep and the Case of the Distrustful Leg

Sometimes, it takes a village! Or in this case, some very friendly pool-owning neighbors.

We’ll get back to that in a second, but first, we want you to meet Peep!

Here she is.

But wait—that’s not all—we want you to bring her home too! Peep is a pretty special pup, and we don’t expect her to call the shelter “home” for too long (unfortunate for us, but fortunately for her!), but before she graced us with her lovable presence, Peep had a pretty rough start to her year.

Let’s start from the beginning:

A cute Peep obviously started as a cute Pup

 As you can see, this ain’t Peep’s first rodeo. Five years ago, Peep made her way to us as a stray brought in by a samaritan. She was a scruffy lil’ 2-month-old ball of adorable, and she was adopted out not long after she came to us (as most of our puppies are).

What transpired between then and February of this year when she was picked up by Animal Care Services (ACS) with a broken pelvis and dislocated femur is unknown to us. A stray search was conducted by ACS, but she remained un-reclaimed. Through the information provided on her microchip, Peep was able to be transferred back into the San Antonio Humane Society where she received much needed care and surgery.

But surgery, of course, is only half of the healing process! Rehabilitation of her injured leg was necessary to bring it back to its full strength, and fortunately, this just meant Peep had to put some weight on it. Unfortunately, Peep. . . just didn’t want to put any weight on it.

It was, as her foster parent put it, as though she just didn’t “trust” it enough.

The face of a dog who's been betrayed by her leg one too many times.

So Peep decided hopping was her new way of walking. And her leg decided that if she didn’t need it, it didn’t need her! And by that we mean her leg began to atrophy and waste away. This was clearly a relationship that needed some fixing.

This is where the pool comes in. (That’s right, we’re full-circling it.) For cases like Peep’s, we look to our awesome foster parents for help. Our foster families give their time, love, and home to help not-yet-adoptable pets like Peep (whether their sick, injured, or just too young) earn their stamp of adopt-ability.

Peep had some very resourceful foster parents. Through social media, they were able to get into contact with a dog-loving neighbor willing to allow Peep into their heated pool for some trust-building rehabilitation.

Pool therapy: the best kind of therapy.

With each swim, Peep’s use of her injured leg increased. Although Peep is taking it slow, her trust in her leg has even translated on land: her use of it during leisurely walks is ever increasing.

Guess who's back?

Now, Peeps back at the San Antonio Humane Society and ready to find her forever family. She still hasn’t regained 100% trust back in her leg, so a little bit of walking therapy is still required for this healing pooch. Pools are a definite plus for Peep, but not necessary to continue healing.

Like we said, we don’t expect Peep to stick around long. She’s a wonderful dog with a wonderful personality. Her foster family described her as dog, cat, and people friendly. She enjoys giving affection just as much as she enjoys receiving it, and is also a pretty big fan of play time. Peep is crate trained, potty trained, and can sit on command—especially if you’ve got a treat handy.

Peeps been through a lot this year, but thanks to her very awesome foster family, our very talented clinic staff, and some very generous pool-owning neighbors, she’s in a better place today—and we’re hoping she’ll be in her new forever home tomorrow.

Imagine coming home to this cutie.

Want to become an awesome foster parent too? Visit SAhumane.org/foster for more details.

Can’t foster, but want to help injured pets like Peep get the medical help they need to heal? You can help by donating to Michael’s Medical Rescue Fund.