EVANSVILLE, IN (RNN) - A puppy who was born without a front left leg has been fitted with a prosthetic limb, and his owners hope to train him to serve people who have suffered limb amputations.
Dr. Tom Whitehurst of Riverside Orthotics and Prosthetics does not ordinarily work on animals, but he made an exception for the Great Dane pup, whose name is Furgus.
When Bill and Pam Lawrence adopted Furgus, he was only four weeks old and they felt right away that he should be trained as a service animal, according to the Courier and Press. But they knew he'd need a prosthetic leg himself if he was going to help people adjust to their prosthetic limbs.
The couple called around before they found Whitehurst, who had made a prosthetic limb for Bill Lawrence's father. As it turned out, Bill's dad was the doctor's first patient.
Through a process of trial-and-error, Whitehurst came up with a usable limb for the active puppy. The most recent one was made using a prosthetic for the arm of a child.
Furgus is a quick learner and adjusts to his new legs easily as he grows.
The Lawrences are already training Fergus to be a service animal, and they hope to soon be able to take him to local schools to teach children about diversity, Pam told the Courier & Press.
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