Seven years ago this Christmastime, a tiny puppy was born with only two fully formed hind legs to a "junkyard dog" raised to guard a flea market, reports the Associated Press. The deformed and weak puppy was being smothered by its mother when Reuben Stringfellow, 17-years old at the time, rescued the helpless newborn and brought it home, where he and his mother, Jude Stringfellow, cared for the puppy and named her Faith.
"When Reuben brought Faith to us she had three actual legs, but the left front leg was badly deformed, placed backward, upside down, and it had more toes on it than normal dog legs," writes Jude Stringfellow on Faith's official website. "The leg was removed when she was seven months old when it began to atrophy. People ask me if it was easy to teach Faith to walk upright... the answer is no! It was not easy, and it was not natural."
But learn to walk Faith did -- with the help of some peanut butter, encouragement and, well, faith. Since overcoming her congenital defect and learning to walk upright on her hind legs, Faith and her owner Jude have toured the country visiting injured soldiers at veterans' hospitals.
"She just walks around barking and laughing and excited to see them all," Jude tells the Associated Press. "There is a lot of crying, pointing and surprise. From those who have lost friends or limbs, there can be silence. Some will shake my hand and thank me, some will pat her on the head. There is a lot of quiet, heartfelt, really deep emotion."
Faith is a "Christmas miracle," Jude states on her website. "Faith's real birthday is unknown but we gave her the date of December 22 to celebrate. We know she was born within a few days of that date."
This January, Faith will be reunited with her rescuer Reuben, who has been serving in the military, reports the Associated Press. We hope cameras will be there to capture the emotional reunion.
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An absolutely beautiful dog-GOD bless her.
Indeed beautiful, and bless the son, and mother that took the time, and had the heart to give Faith a chance.. in love nothing has to be perfect.. hagd
Oh my gosh. I was inspired when Faith survived. It doesn't really seem that long ago. I hope her owner gets to come home and stay home and play with his dog, like all boys do. How wonderful it is to hear that Faith is giving faith to soldiers and families. Anyone with any amputation or malformation lives with a tremendous amount of sorrow. I am proud of Faith and her family for getting out there to make other people's lives happier.
THANK YOU
God bless her !! and her owner as well
this is definitely animal cruelty,why would you make a dog suffer by having her walk on her two feet?she is probably scraching her ass agains the floor when she walks, trust me that dog is not happy
Of course this dog is as happy as a dog can be. She knows nothing else but having two legs. That's the way animals are. Don't make the mistake of transfering human feelings to her. As long as she enjoys her food and interacts with her people, she's having a good life. Dogs don't have to be put down because they're not perfect in our eyes. Look at her face......
Eddi, I'm positive you don't know what you're talking about! Dogs are among the most remarkably adaptable of all animals. Do you ever watch Animal Planet?
What a beautiful story. GOD bless the young gentleman who saved her and GOD bless that beautiful animal. Merry CHRISTmas everyone and GOD bless our troops, especially the snipers...
Good going Jude and Reuben!
Faith was lucky to find you and she has worked hard to show you how appreciative she is. What wonderful spirits and hearts you have. I hope to see more of Faith and look forward to Reuben coming home.
Amazing... I never knew a dog could do something like that. God bless her.
I dunno.....it looks kinda creepy to me.
sunny>>> take this picture of your mother with no legs, you sound kind of creepy to me
How in the world can you find this creepy? What an incredible spirit this beautiful animal has shown!
You only think its creepy because you have no heart. I thnk its truley inspiring.
I saw Faith on tv a while back. She is adorable!
Now you know why when DOG is spelled backwards it's GOD!
AMEN!
enough with the backwards spelling thing already! LOL You could try that with every word in the dictionary and find many situations like that. I wouldn't recommend it because it would take your whole life and you may go insane. Also the word live backward is evil. Only in English, try some Native American Indian words and see what you get. Who gives a ratz rear-end ;-)
Here is another revelation, just for you Grace. Look in a mirror and you will see an image of DUMB CRAP.
Wonderful story of a "junk yard dog" overcoming the odds, no bitching no moaning. No wonder I love animals and can't stand people!