A pup that was born without one paw recently received a new leg up on life, literally.
Furgus, a Great Dane puppy, was fitted for a prosthetic leg by Tom Whitehurst, of Riverside Orthotics and Prosthetics in Evansville, Indiana.
Furgus was born without his front left paw due to a birth defect. Bill and Pam Lawrence adopted the pup when he was four weeks old. The couple immediately decided to train Furgus as a service animal.
But to become a service animal, Furgus needs a prosthetic leg, which the couple couldn’t afford.
In a moment of need, Bill Lawrence remembered Whitehurst, who made a prosthetic for his father.
Whitehurst graciously agreed to make his first-ever canine prosthetic, for free.
As Furgus grows, he will need new prosthetics. He’s already on his sixth since August 2017.
Bill and Pam have already begun Furgus's service training. Pam told Courier & Press, "I think he'll help show people that if he can overcome this adversity that he was born with, then we can overcome our own adversity."
Furgus is scheduled to receive his seventh prosthetic on November 11. Whitehurst will continue making new prosthetics free of charge as Furgus grows.
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