Pictures of Ella 5 months after accident

[bcraig]

I have mostly avoided the Basenji forum since Ella was hit by a car in April and lost one of her hind legs. She has been amazing and except for a few weeks of being drugged and having stitches she has been pretty close to her regular self since soon after the accident. She almost escaped from the clinic the morning after the amputation. They assumed she would be docile but she tried to jump a fence. She is definitely happy and healthy.

It has been an inspirational experience This terrible thing happened yet we feel blessed and lucky and we appreciate her all the more. And she is pretty much the exact same trouble maker, full of vim and vigor and a personality that really has not changed at all. Dogs don't dwell on the past or have regrets And we have taken our cue, in this matter as well as most other matters, from our Basenji.

If you ever thought it was hard to not be noticed while walking a Basenji, just imagine what it is like walking with a cute and energetic three-legged Basenji! We are stopped constantly. She is showered with attention and love, which mostly she wants little to do with–in typical basenji fashion.

I have attached a few pictures,most of which do not really highlight the missing leg. Which is as it should be. They are just cute pictures of her. I have also attached a link to youtube page with a few short videos from the last couple of weeks

Here is the you youtube link--there are 3 basenji videos on it, as well as few of bear in a tree in our neighborhood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLAg5kGnH5Y&feature=plcp

[JoT]

Thank you for your update and the wonderful pictures of Ella. She is so lovely. Her face is irresistible. Basenjis are resilient.
It is quite obvious how much she is loved and even more so how much she loves you.
Heart-warming!

[DebraDownSouth]

She makes me happy. You make me sad. Please do not avoid posting. As I say over and over and over, accidents happen. Yeah with hindsight we mighta coulda maybe avoided some or most. We aren't perfect. it's what you do after that counts and you are a rock star. Sharing her with us helps all of us see that things can be overcome. (hugs to you and Ella).

[eeeefarm]

It's great to hear that Ella is coping so well, but I would have expected that. Dogs don't spend time fretting over the past. They live in the "now" and for her that is a pretty special place. Follow her example and enjoy your life with her, and yes, please keep posting.

[tanza]

Exactly, accidents happen, but you stepped up to the plate and did what you needed to do for your little girl. Please don't avoid posting as already said!! Thanks for the update

[agilebasenji]

She looks pretty normal to me. Actually dogs have an extra leg, so 3 is really okay. (Some dogs even do okay with only 2 legs!) Can I push the therapy dog angle again? 3 legged dogs can be so inspirational to amputee humans.

[Moth]

What a sweet girl

She certainly does not seem slowed down at all…

[nobarkus]

Wow, she looks great in the video! The pics are great too! Dogs are very adaptive as Ella shows.

[Buddys Pal]

Yep, in pure fashion she is doing well without the leg…ya know, I noticed that her tail is now curled to the left after the amputation. She had her tail curled on the right when she was on the bed with her Chihuahua brother! Guess it helps with balance! Glad to hear she is back to normal! It is rewarding to learn from our little Basenji souls isn't it!?!

[curlytails]

Cute and energetic indeed. I love the upside-down face. That looks like a familiar position.
She is an inspiration to all.

[Chealsie508]

She looks great, I love the video and the last thing I saw was a missing leg. Watching all the familiar ways that basenjis sniff and lean- I loved watching it. It's taught me more about basenjis that I didn't know before the update, thanks!

[TMartin]

She is a gorgeous girl and definitely deserves to be shown off here! Watching the video you hardly even notice that she's missing a leg. We've encountered quite a few dogs at the dog park who have lost a leg, an eye, or still have a leg which they are unable to use or never formed properly. None of these dogs are phased by it in the least and keep up with the other dogs just as well as if they weren't missing "xyz". It's a shame that so many people pass by these dogs never realizing they're missing out on a fantastic companion. One three legged dog wrestled with and chased Loki around and gave him a pretty good workout

[giza1]

Dogs aren't really concerned with the number of legs they have, as long as they can get around. Heck, check YouTube for the number of two-legged dogs out there, missing only one is nothing! And if it makes you feel any better, missing a rear leg is better than missing a front leg because there is much more weight up front (and now you have 4 less nails to cut).

[Chealsie508]

Amen to less nails to cut! I've been doing Oakley since he was 10 weeks old and his breeder did before that, yet he's a still a pain in the a**

[bcraig]

Well thanks for the overwhelming positive support Not that I am surprised. Although I am surprised by the number of responses in one day. Most of the things mentioned are things we have already thought about. Yes, she would be an good candidate for a therapy dog–except she is distrustful of strangers. Yes, we only have 3 paws to trim nails on. Yes, her missing leg is not even the first thing you notice on the videos. Yes, she can still run faster than most other dogs (she can fly when has a good reason!). And mostly, yes our dogs teach us to live in the moment and with joy. But thanks for mentioning all of those things.

[ownedbyspencer]

Ella is lovely, and I'm very happy to hear she's doing so well. You both show great courage and great heart. Not everyone would have given her the chance to prove what a survivor she is… and what an inspiration she can be. Thanks for coming back to share the pics and her story.

[kjdonkers]

Wonderful! Keep posting!

[Patty]

Lovely pictures. She is obviously still enjoying life. What a neat amputation. As the others have said the missing leg is the last thing you notice. Well done to you all and especially Ella.

[krunzer]

Glad to hear she is doing well. I also see you have a bad case of basenji Bed-bug!

[Lysh]

she looks so happy