The story of Chloe the Shih Tzu and elderly chihuahua, Roxie, starts heartbreaking but has an amazing happy ending. It took a huge effort from rescuers at the San Diego Humane Society and veterinarians to get these dogs back on their feet. But in the end, the dogs gave the rescuers hope for a brighter future.
The two pups lived in a home in Mira Mesa, California. Their owner was wrapping their paws to prevent them from scratching and licking. However, they wrapped them so tightly that it cut off blood circulation. Chloe was 9 years old, and Roxie was 13.
It was too late when the owner brought them to the vet. So, officers stepped in to transfer ownership to the Humane Society.
Images via Facebook/San Diego Humane Society and YouTube
Chloe and Roxie’s Long Road to Recovery
Sadly, surgical amputation was the only way to save the dogs. Veterinarians amputated Chloe’s back paws and part of Roxie’s paw. Following the procedure, it took a team of medical professionals to rehabilitate the dogs. Just as with people, they had to learn to walk again, requiring physical therapy and a wheelchair. The professionals needed to monitor their bandages daily for weeks.
For the first time, the San Diego Humane Society medical team created custom prosthetics for dogs. Then, they needed to help them learn how to use them. For Chloe, it took three months to recover.
Top: Roxie and a friend. Bottom: Roxie and Chloe
“Fitting a dog with prosthetics is quite an involved process, and this was a first for San Diego Humane Society,” veterinarian Susan Garity stated. “It included sedation to create a mold of the feet, getting the prosthetics to fit perfectly, and monitoring for pressure sores. It takes time for the dogs to learn to use them, but our staff is so dedicated, and I am so grateful we had our whole organization’s support in giving these sweet dogs a second chance at some normalcy.”
Rescuer looks at Roxie
While Roxie needed a specially created prosthetic, Chloe needed two orthopedic slippers.
Video by Animals Doing Things/Facebook:
The Perfect Forever Homes
Both dogs adapted to their prosthetics and were ready for a new chapter in their lives. That’s when Chloe went to a foster home with San Diego Police Department Detective James “Chappie” Hunter. Roxie went to the perfect loving home too.
Hunter lost one leg due to a motorcycle crash in Alpine in 2013 and had to adapt to a prosthetic like Chloe. According to the Humane Society, Hunter returned to work after a year of recovery, so he knew the challenges first-hand.
“It turns out, Chloe’s foster home was the perfect fit! After a few weeks, San Diego Police Department Detective Chappie Hunter and his family decided to make it official and adopt her. Detective Hunter lost his leg in a crash in 2013, returning to work one year later with a prosthetic. He and his family fell in love with Chloe, knowing just how difficult her journey had been. Now a playful dog, Chloe is running again and enjoying life with her new family!” the Humane Society shared on Facebook.
After immediately falling in love with Chloe, Hunter’s family adopted her. Actually, he says, it was the other way around.
“She is resilient and awesome with her legs. She goes great, she gets along with the family and now she has basically adopted us,” Hunter told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“The bond between Chloe and I, which is really awesome, I was the first one that she actually kissed,” Hunter told ABC10. “With me, I really enjoy the fact that you know, obviously she’s been through some trauma like I was, she has her prosthetics, I have mine. It’s kind of neat to be able to work with her on that fact. And also know that in actuality, I might actually kind of know what she’s feeling and be able to be a little more sensitive to that fact … She’s actually the one taking care of me.”
Today, Chloe zips around with her furry friends, including Lincoln, a dog adopted from a rescue shelter in Mexico. You would never know what she had to overcome.
“You wouldn’t be able to tell if she didn’t have the legs on. She goes 100 miles an hour. She can run, she can jump. She can jump onto the couch from the floor and jump down with the legs on. She’s doing great,” he added.
By caring for the dogs during the pandemic, the Humane Society shared that “Chloe and Roxie helped us see hope for a brighter future.”
Roxie goes home
