Adopting an animal is a huge decision. Adopting an animal with special needs is also a gift, but it will take up a lot of time, money, and all your love.
Some people don’t understand taking on this responsibility. But, there is nothing better than getting home to your fur baby in all its cuteness.
Redditor lionbear7 encountered this very issue with their family. So they turned to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit for moral judgment.
They asked:
“AITA for considering adopting a 3-legged dog?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“Hello. Background. So I (23) have been wanting a dog my entire life. I have experience with them, from childhood family dogs, to a dog my roommate adopted as a puppy that I shared equal responsibility for for years, to dogs that I just lived with and observed.”
“I am really interested in training dogs, even before I was seriously thinking about getting one I read up on positive training and watched many Youtube videos on the subject.”
“I got my first job out of grad school and have been fortunate to have the opportunity to ease into the role, I begin full-time next month but have been interning there for several months and have a good understanding of what the job will entail and what my hours will look like.”
“I am moving, but my apartment is pet-friendly and a really great space for a dog, with a large backyard.”
The OP explained their conundrum.
“Ok. Onto the story.”
“I wasn’t looking specifically for a 3-legged dog, or any dog in particular. I figured when something jumped out at me, I would know.”
“I found him on Petfinder and fell in love. I found him on Wednesday and couldn’t stop thinking about him until Friday. I decided to inquire about him, and I literally pulled over on the side of the road to write the email because I felt so strongly that I needed to.”
“I began researching tripod dogs, and found that their lives are not all that different from typical dogs, and medical costs after the initial amputation are not all that high except for bone and joint supplements.”
“I got a call on Tuesday that they reviewed my application and I can go meet him today, and begin to foster him if it goes well.”
OP’s parents were not as excited.
“I called my parents and asked them if he could come with me when I visited for Easter, and they said yes, but I didn’t tell them about the leg yet.”
“I just wanted a day to be excited. I called them yesterday and told them about the leg and all hell broke loose.”
“I am no longer allowed to bring it to Easter, and both of them called me for 30+ minutes to tell me how terrible of an idea it is to get this dog, I’m going to ruin my life, why would I even want a dog with three legs when there are healthy dogs out there, etc.”
“I can’t bring it to Easter because they don’t want me to, so I found a friend to watch him for that day, but that apparently hurts them too since ‘I put them in a position of having to say no.'”
“I am so upset, I am meeting the dog today and instead of being excited like I was before, I feel guilty. AITA?”
Redditors gave their opinions on the situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Most Redditors agreed OP was not the a**hole.
“NTA.”
“Furthermore, f*ck them. Why hate on a 3 legged dog?”
“I have a 3 legged cat that I adopted and she is a wonderful pet. The missing leg is a conversation starter, not a hindrance to my family or the cat.”
“She wasn’t born that way, BTW. She and her litter mates were tossed out of a car by some real assholes. Only she and one brother survived. He had road rash pretty bad but her injuries required amputating her front leg.” ~ vangoghdoppelganger
“When I saw him I felt like the missing leg just wasn’t that big of a deal. From what I hear, the animals don’t even miss the leg after a while.”
“This dog wasn’t born like there either, he is 5 but his leg had a birth deformity and was amputated a couple years ago.” ~ lionbear7
“They don’t miss it because they adapt. As long as they can eat, play, potty and get loved on, they are happy. Pretty much like every other domesticated pet.” ~ vangoghdoppelganger
“I mean at my local zoo we have a leopard that’s missing a leg, and a gorilla that’s missing an arm and it doesn’t cause a problem for either of them. Animals are incredibly adaptable.” ~ nocte_lupus
All Redditors agreed that OP’s dog deserves all the love.
“There’s a joke in the rescue community that cats are born with an extra leg; sometimes you don’t even notice they’re missing a leg at first, they’re moving so comfortably without it.”
“While dogs might not be *quite* that agile, they still adapt pretty well (especially losing it while still young). Aside from the joint stuff you’re clearly on top of, the biggest ‘problem’ I’ve heard about for three-legged dogs is that a male dog who loses his ‘balancing’ back leg is going to have to figure out how to pee all over again.”
“But even if you had decided to adopt a pet with a major disability, who was going to require a lot of extra care and expense… how on earth is that your parents’ problem?!? Seriously, they’re acting like you started dating a serial killer or something.”
“Are they always this overdramatic and controlling about your normal life choices?” ~ minuteye
“We adopted a kitten who was missing part of a rear leg.”
“Cats apparently do poorly with part of a leg (they keep walking on it even though it causes pressure sores) so when he went in to be neutered they amputated the rest. Forget about getting used to it – the second that cat woke up he figured it how much less awkward running was and wanted to do nothing else even without painkillers.”
“We tried sedating painkillers and his response was to take a 30 min nap and then tackle his brother.” ~ agreywood
OP added some edits and photos.
Dog Tax Link ! I’ll post more once I meet the pup. You guys have been so helpful, and have made me feel a lot better about this. Thank you 🙂
He has been with me all weekend, and is such a good boy!! He is very friendly and chill. He’s sleeping next to me as I post this. I’m still figuring things out with my parents, but I think given time, everything will work out. More pictures here!!
This dog needs a good home and lots of love.
It looks like they’ll be getting it with the OP.