An animal farm in Austin, Texas, has made it its mission to take in animals with special needs and give them a chance at a new life.
But there is another reason why this farm is very special – because children with disabilities often visit the animal shelter and realize that they are not alone with their limitations.
Healing effect
When a child with a congenital hand anomaly visits the farm and meets a rescued turkey with a „lucky claw“, such an encounter has a healing effect.
„There’s something absolutely magical when a child with disabilities comes here and says: ‚They’re just like me‘, “ says Jaime Wallace-Griner, founder of the sanctuary.
More than 150 animals with special needs live on Wallace-Griner’s farm. Each of these animals shares the same fate – because if Jaime had not taken them in, they would have been euthanized or neglected.
„We have animals that are blind or deaf, have diabetes, cerebral palsy, deformities, missing limbs, broken spines … they all become part of our family, “ says Jaime about her animal farm.
A special puppy
One of these animals is a great Pyrenean mountain dog called Halo – she was abandoned in a crate by her breeder in the freezing cold because she could no longer use her.
Fortunately, Jaime found the helpless four-legged friend in time and saved his life. Unfortunately, Halo was in a very poor condition, which is why one of her hind legs and both front legs had to be amputated.
But as Jaime reports, Halo never seemed to worry that she was different from the other dogs.
She always seemed cheerful and radiated an enormous zest for life – she never let her limitations take the fun out of life!
New legs for Halo
Halo was unable to walk properly due to her missing limbs, so she got around by hopping.
But she soon received a pair of prosthetic legs so she could finally walk like any other four-legged friend – her reaction when she tried out the new legs for the first time is just incredibly heartwarming!
„I have no words. I can’t believe it,“ Jaime later wrote on Facebook. He had actually only intended to try the prosthetic legs on Halo at first.
But when Jamie put the prostheses on her, she wanted to try out what it was like to be able to stand properly! She stood up as if she had never done anything else before.
She could walk
Then Halo suddenly took a step towards Jaime – it was just incredible! A short time later, a man came past the gate of the farm and the dog immediately greeted him too by rushing towards him!
It was as if a miracle had happened: Jaime never expected that Halo would immediately start walking with her new prostheses!
Soon Halo was running around the yard with other dogs as if it was the most normal thing in the world for her.
„From themoment I brought home this little, injured, 4-week-old, one-legged ball of fur, I knew she was special!“ Jaime proudly tells us about her very special dog.
What a wonderful story with a truly happy ending!
