Buster the Senior Chow Starts a New Life on Three Legs

Hello, people! I’m Buster, a 10-year-old Chow mix. My sweet teddy-bear face doesn’t come close to telling the story of my long journey to Young At Heart Pet Rescue and the new life that awaits me, so I’ll do the best I can to spell it all out here. Trust me: It’s a page-turner!

Buster the four-legged dog

I used to have a home (most dogs don’t survive to be my age living on the streets), but I lost my way and ended up at a local pound. I waited there on the concrete floor of my kennel for four long months, hoping that someone kind and loving would take me in. I had a limp in my right rear leg, but I was sweet and gentle, so the shelter staff kept trying to find a place for me.

When Young At Heart found me, my rescue friends took me to the vet to find out why I was limping. An X-ray revealed that my right femur was a mess of breaks. The femur – which is the thigh bone both in dogs and people – is supposed to be one big, strong bone that supports the body’s weight and movement. Mine was split in two – the long way! The X-rays also showed a lot of little bone fragments in between the two bones that should have been just one. I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but the vet is pretty sure that I was probably hit by a car while I was out wandering alone.

Despite living with a broken and shattered back leg, I never let the shelter people know just how much pain I was in, lying on the hard floor with my bone in pieces. After all, life at the pound was better than being on the streets with no food or water and all those cars zipping around.

I never complained, and I never got grumpy. I just endured.

After regaining some of my strength with lots of healthy food and T.L.C. in my foster home, I had surgery at Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove. The surgical team hoped they’d be able to repair my leg, but the damage was too extensive, and too much time had passed between injury and intervention.

So on Jan. 27, 2011, after four hours under anesthesia, I became a three-legged dog.

Buster the three-legged dog

I’m doing great! My recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. I was home from the hospital just two days after my surgery, and I was able to get up and go outside on my own by Day 3!

My broken leg hadn’t been any help to me at all for a very long time, so losing it really hasn’t been as big a deal to me as you’d think. Even though I’m now one leg short of a full set, the surgery was definitely a success. After all, I’d rather live pain-free with three legs than in pain with all four.

Life has been so good since the rescue took me in – especially now that I’m truly on the mend. I’m still on some pain medication, but my dose has been cut down so I can enjoy the day without dozing off all the time.

Buster the typical dog

I’m doing so well in my foster home. I adore my canine brother and sister. In fact, I have yet to meet a dog I don’t care for. During my visit to the dog park earlier this week, I greeted every dog I met with a friendly tail wag.

I’m told I have the typical Chow personality: I’m well-mannered, independent, no-nonsense, and maybe even a little stubborn – all traits that helped me survive and thrive under some extremely adverse circumstances.

If you were to ask me to name my favorite activity, I’d have to say it’s sniffing. (Yes, sniffing.) Once my wiggly bunny nose gets going, it doesn’t stop until it’s smelled all the smells there are to smell.

Even when my broken leg was dragging me down, I loved going for walks, and I still do. To make sure my foster family knows it, I amble to the front door and circle-dance whenever one of them offers to take me out. I’m also very gentle and well-behaved on leash.

Just like before the surgery, I LOVE snuggling in comfy dog beds with soft blankets!

I also really enjoy the car, so much so that I’m always more than happy to hang out there. This means I’ll be a great companion on road trips. But be warned: I like the view from the driver’s seat, so if you let me sneak in behind the wheel, I may not want to move over.

My stitches are out and although my fur hasn’t completely grown back yet (it’s in the “peach fuzz” stage), I’m officially ready to find my new forever home. I’ll need a quieter, adults-only home with not too many stairs. (I do fine with my foster family’s two or three steps in and out of the house or the van, but I haven’t tried to venture up a full flight since my surgery. I also have a bit of arthritis, a common ailment in dogs my age, so the fewer stairs the better.)

There’s no doubt I’ll make a very sweet and loyal companion to someone who can see that it isn’t only a missing leg that makes me special. I’m completely housebroken, super gentle, and just an all-around docile guy who’s willing to give back all the love you give to me.

To arrange a visit to meet me, just submit your adoption application and my rescue friends will take it from there.

Love,
Buster