Sarah Roe (center) is pictured outside The Times-Gazette with her children, Annabelle and Matthew, and their new three-legged puppy Rocky.
John Hackley | The Times-Gazette
Sarah Roe and her family adopted 3-month-old Rocky, a Great Pyrenees boxer mix with just three legs, from the Highland County Humane Society about a month ago through the Paws-itive Parenting Program.
“What that does for folks is, if they have an unplanned litter of puppies, the Humane Society will help bring home the puppies and fix the mother at no charge,” said Roe.
Before Roe and her family took Rocky in to foster him, he was hit by a car. “His leg wasn’t going to heal properly, so our vet recommended that we remove his leg,” she said.
After fostering Rocky for a weekend, the family decided to adopt him permanently. “We took him home for a weekend, and we fell in love with him, and he never went back,” said Roe.
Roe said her family adopted their previous dog, Roxy, from the Humane Society 12 year ago, and Roxy passed away the weekend before Memorial Day.
“We weren’t sure we were ready for another dog, but I had prayed and asked for Roxy to bring us the next one,” said Roe. “When we brought Rocky home, he was laying in the same spots that our dog used to, and when he was out in the yard playing baseball with the kids, he just had a very similar, fun personality that our other dog had.”
Roe said the family sat down for a discussion at dinner before deciding to adopt the new dog. “We all said, ‘OK, as long as everyone helps out, because it’s been 12 years since we had a puppy and they do require a lot of we’re OK to let him stay,” she said.
“They love him,” Roe said about her children Annabelle, 11, and Matthew, 8. “He’s a lot of puppy for them, but he’s part of the family. He fits right in, and the only one he’s kind of curious about right now is our cat. Our cat, Rosie, is just now starting to come out a little bit more and kind of look at home and wonder who this new animal is in our house.”
Roe said Rocky doesn’t appear to be greatly impacted by his missing leg. “You wouldn’t even know that he’s missing a leg,” said Roe. “I had him race Annabelle the other night at the house in the yard, and he kept right up with her. He may tire a little bit easier because he still has to work up that muscle mass from where he was down from having surgery, but you wouldn’t even know. He’s going to live a long, happy life, even if it is only on three legs.”
Roe said she encourages other people to adopt from the Humane Society. “They have some wonderful dogs there, and we’re happy to again find our next family member from there,” she said.
Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.
