Rescue Group Seeks Amputee Owner To Adopt Dog Who Lost Her Leg

PITTSBURG (KPIX 5) -- An animal rescue group in the East Bay is on a mission to find a special match for an injured dog who lost her leg.

But the group is not looking just any match; they want to find an owner who can relate to what the dog's going through.

"Minmi Dinosaur" may be a strange name for a dog, but then this dog's life has been anything but normal.

"She had a broken leg when she came into the shelter. We tried to do what we could to save the leg," said Tish Bilby, who works as a volunteer with the Pittsburg-based rescue group Umbrella of Hope.

The two-year old Maltese-poodle mix had been hit by a car, but her injury never healed properly. In December, they had to amputate her leg.

The operation cost more than $2,000, but a rescue group called Umbrella of Hope in Pittsburg got an anonymous grant for the surgery with one unusual condition.

"That Minmi be placed with someone that is also an amputee, whether it be a child, an adult, a veteran," said Bilby

Umbrella of Hope has had a number of unusual pairings. Two years ago we told you about a burned and abused Chihuahua that the group placed with a young burn survivor in Alameda.

They group is hoping to do the same thing with Minmi. Veterinarians say dogs seem to deal with an amputation much better than humans do.

"Just like nothing ever happened. They don't even miss it," said Dr. Gayle Vial of the Well-Pet Veterinary Clinic. "They don't have the, 'Woe is me.'  It's, 'I'm fine. Where's the ball, let's go play!'"

By pairing her with a fellow amputee, they believe Minmi's indomitable spirit could provide some much-needed inspiration.

"A kid or an adult that sees an animal doing so well with that circumstance, that they would really realize that they're feeling sorry for themselves and they could be just as strong as the animal is," said Vial.