* Recently, North Shore Animal League America rescued three Chihuahuas, Venus de Milo, Carmen and Pablo… who they suspect were the inbred litter from backyard breeders. All three of these precious little bundles, only 10 weeks old, have no front legs. Physical deformities such as these are often the result of irresponsible breeding. While they are happy that the breeders chose to surrender these puppies to a shelter instead of fates far worse, they are saddened that the terrible misfortune of the deformities had to happen at all
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*DOGS' ROLL CALL
IT GIVES ONE PAWS, UH, PAUSE
By KIERAN CROWLEY
PUPMOBILES: Chihuahuas Venus (front), Carmen (left) and Pablo — litter mates born without front paws — learn to "roll" yesterday.Dogs On A RollThree adorable chihuahuas that were born without front legs just got some new wheels.
January 11, 2008 -- Three adorable Chihuahua puppies who were born without front paws are now hot dogs on a roll - each equipped with their own custom set of wheels.
Litter mates Pablo, Carmen and Venus received the tiny carts, costing a total of $1,000, courtesy of North Shore Animal League donors.
The small rigs are fully loaded and made of aluminum, with Velcro-held polar fleece padding for comfortable, shock-absorbing body support. They feature lightweight, black foam wheels.
"The wheels were their holiday presents," said owner Donna Imhof, a veterinary technician at the league's shelter in Port Washington, LI.
"Instead of their two front teeth, they got two front wheels," said Imhof, 48, of Smithtown, as the friendly, 11-month-old siblings bumped into one another on the floor.
"It looks like a three-car collision," Imhof said with a giggle.
Imhof adopted them after the no-kill shelter rescued them from a puppy mill in Virginia last July. They were slated to be euthanized.
"They're great," she said. "They do everything together."
She said they eat, play and sleep together and are very affectionate. "They're big kissers. Two of them hold the bone, while the other one chews the end," she said.
She said the pups play with their toys together in "a large, padded playpen" like babies.
The trio had already learned to "walk around on their hind legs, like little dinosaurs, and they hop like little kangaroos," Imhof said.
Imhof first taught the canines to walk by rigging a clothesline and harness to enable them to stay upright and develop their hind-leg muscles. Venus, at just 2½ pounds, learned first, probably because of her smaller size.
"But that's not the way dogs are supposed to walk," Imhof said.
The wheels are needed to prevent future injuries, as well as serious leg and back problems from the strain on their spines.
Yesterday, at North Shore's Port Washington shelter, Imhof strapped the pups into their vehicles and they had another lesson in walking with wheels.
She said they had mastered reverse and were still working on forward "gear."
Imhof coaxed them forward, saying, "Come to Mama," using a toy and their favorite treat - peanut butter - as an enticement.
"This is Carmen. She's the one who gets into the most trouble," said a doting Imhof.
"Pablo is very protective of his little sisters. Venus is the little one. They're pretty much all spoiled - I don't know how that happened," she laughed.
North Shore Animal League spokeswoman Joanne Yohannan said it should take the clever Chihuahuas 30 to 60 days to learn how to navigate completely on their wheels.
That will not only save them from possibly crippling injuries later in life, but will enable them to perform normal dog tasks - such as being walked on a leash.
Imhof "is providing them with the love and attention they need," Yohannan said. "They are Donna's children."
Yohannan said two other Chihuahuas from the same litter were born normal. The birth defect, "we suspect, was the result of inbreeding and of greed," she said. "It was a small-size puppy mill."
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