Meet Walter. As a tiny pup he was thrown away like garbage due to is bowed legs and irregular gate. Making money off puppies isn’t as lucrative when they have something wrong at birth.

Luckily, a Good Samaritan found him and his brother and contacted the Sioux Falls Humane Society where they found a nursing mother to care for them until they reached 8 weeks of age.

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We were then asked to help Walter. You see his future is unknown and having the solid backing financial of a secure rescue gives him a far better chance of growing into his best life.

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After spending Friday with the team at the Tea Vet Clinic to be neutered and have a full diagnostic work up with X-rays, Dr Tom feels he doesn’t seem painful on exam, thankfully. His knees and knee caps feel a “little odd” and when he walks you can see his front legs are bow legged and he is front heavy from his rear end issues.

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X-rays do confirm the back knee patella’s are not well developed. It could be because he is young or have open growth plates and still growing, but it could also mean developmental bone issues and we will be looking at double bi-lateral patella surgery down the line.

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Tom has consulted with our best specialist in the area who also confirmed only time will. This will mean continued monthly X-rays to see if his knee caps will begin to form more normally for a young pup.

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What can you say about a puppy?  Adorable, energetic, and creative at the same time...that's Walter!  Walter is taking his new lease on life with gusto, and showing his foster family that he is smart as can be.  His bright blue eyes and adorable energy reminded them of a Walt Disney character, especially when he turns those big puppy eyes on you.  He has taken easily to commands like "sit" and potty training.  While he's no pro at his young age, he is growing in his skills to tell his foster family when it's time to "visit outside". 

 

Walters favorite toys are ropes, balls and anything squishy.  With no training at all he has mastered playing ball and showing off his hop skills when excited.  He's recently learned how stairs work and loves to go up and down when following his foster family or their resident dogs around. When it's nap time, Walter will take a lap nap before you realize he's done playing.  He is doing great at night in his kennel, and learning from the big dogs in the house how to behave properly when playing too.  He adores anytime he can be near or play with the kids in the house, especially if treats or food is involved. And did I mention snuggles.  Snuggles with a bone, snuggles just to snuggle, snuggles on the couch or on the floor, he's down for whatever you have time for. 

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Reminder: puppies are like new born babies! A LOT of work and even when “raised right” we give no guarantees to who their individual personalities will develop into as adults. We are looking for families who clearly understand this and willing to “wow” us with their canine leadership and knowledge. Love will need to be guaranteed for LIFE, not just when they are small, cute, and cuddly.

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Review SEPR’s adoption process and guidelines:

https://www.pitrescue.org/adoption

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO WALTER'S FOSTER FAMILY FOR THEIR TIME AND DONATIONS: 

Ashley & Tony

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**Families with children 5 years of age and under wanting to adopt puppies will be reviewed on a

case-by-case basis. Raising a puppy properly takes a lot of time, and we understand that in families with small children, time can be a limited commodity.