In the news

[momcat]

There were two interesting stories in our local news this week that might be of interest to all animal lovers.

In New York a puppy was born with 5 legs, a cute little guy. The puppy's owner agreed to sell the little guy to a boardwalk side show for $3000. That would have meant a life of being on display as some kind of freak. Well, a woman in North Carolina heard about this, decided this puppy deserves a much better life and contacted the puppy's owner. She offered $4000 and convinced the owner to back out of the other deal. This woman now has custody of the puppy and the little guy is already scheduled for surgery to remove the 5th leg.

A 17 year old girl got 1 year in jail for unspeakable abuse against a little kitten. This idiot, along with a 14 year old, broke into a friend's apartment, trashed the place, then tortured the baby kitten to death. (what these two did is too horrible to even mention!) When asked why she did this, the 17 year old said, "It was a joke". On this one a year doesn't seem to be nearly enough.

To the wonderful samaritan who rescued the puppy, thank you and bless you!

[Laura's Babies]

I agree, one year is not enough for how that poor baby must have suffered!

KHUDO's to the person who saved that puppy from being a caged, displayed side show item.

[Casper]

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/07/19/alg_chihuahua.jpg
(Picture borrowed from here (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/07/19/2009-07-19_woman_saves_5legged_pup_from_freak_show.html).)
Isn't she a little cutie? :) I'm so happy to hear that she is getting the great life she deserves.



I am assuming the 17 year old did get jail and not juvenile detention? Either way, one year is far too short. How many times do animal abusers have to turn into even more violent criminals before tougher laws are created to keep creeps like that off the streets...

[Laura's Babies]

What an adoreable puppy! So sweet and innocent, not a clue that she is just a little different. May she go on to live a perfect happy life that is so full of LOVE that she is spolied rotten!

[momcat]

Hi Oyster and thank you for posting the puppy's picture. And you're absolutely right, she sure is a cutie!

Believing no animal belongs in a freak show, Allyson Siegel of Charlotte, North Carolina did what she had to do. The 6 week old puppy she named Lily will have the surgery this month. Lily is a Chihuahua-terrier mix.

"When asked if $4000 seemed like too high a price for a deformed dog, Siegel said I just know I wanted to get this puppy and make sure she had a good life." (from the NY Daily News)

Wishing Lily a long, healthy, happy life with her guardian angel Allyson Siegel :love:

[mrspunkysmom]

So now the Freak show owner is taking it to court.

[momcat]

So now the Freak show owner is taking it to court.

WHAT!!??!! I've been down with a nasty case of bronchitis and haven't been able to keep up with the news over these past several days.

What about little Lily's best interest?

[Catty1]

Too late for her to be a freak now! :p:D

I thought I read somewhere that the vet had done the surgery for free...can't find it now.
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http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32113238/ns/today-today_pets/

Success! 5-legged puppy’s extra limb removed

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Sections/TVNews/Today%20show/Today%20Entertainment/People.com/2009/Photos/5leggedpup2.hmedium.jpg
Before her surgery, Lilly the puppy couldn't sit, walk or lay properly because of her extra leg. "She'd struggle to run up a hill or walk up a hill because she had to tug that thing behind her," says the dog's owner, Allyson Siegel.

Jeff Siner / ASSOCIATED PRESS

updated 5:51 p.m. MT, Thurs., July 23, 2009

Lilly, the five-legged puppy at the center of a tug of war this week between a Charlotte, N.C., dog-lover and a Coney Island, N.Y., sideshow owner, had her extra appendage removed Thursday, PEOPLE Pets has learned.

The dog's new owner, Allyson Siegel — who purchased Lilly for $4,000 from Calvin Owensby, and outbid sideshow owner John Strong — says the 6-week-old terrier-Chihuahua mix had the surgery at a veterinarian's office, but preferred not to disclose the location. The operation took place amid reports that Strong was planning to file a lawsuit to get the dog back.

"Last night I called the surgeon and said, 'Will you take a look at her to see if she's healthy enough, see if you think that she could possibly have the surgery now?' And he did, and she did," Siegel tells PEOPLE Pets. Though the dog is still recovering and will not return home for another 24 to 36 hours, Siegel says she's "doing great. She's recovering well, no complications."

'This was always about Lilly'
Siegel, whose story was originally reported in the New York Daily News, says she will pay for the surgery bill — which could total up to $2,000 — with donations that she's received from several people who have heard of the dog's plight.

"In my mind it's kind of over. Just let it be over," she says, referring to Strong's legal threats. "I'm very happy that Lilly is fine and that she's going to be a normal dog. And get to have a normal life and not be in a cage. I don't personally have anything against him, Mr. Strong, I don't know him. This was really always about Lilly."

Prior to the surgery, the puppy couldn't sit, walk or lay properly because of the extra leg (which had six toes and protruded from her stomach). "She'd struggle to run up a hill or walk up a hill because she had to tug that thing behind her," says Siegel.

When she returns home, the dog will be running around like any other puppy — though she'll have to wear a cone to prevent her from biting her stitches. "She's got a lot of energy,” Siegel says of the Lilly's personality. "She plays hard and sleeps hard."