19 Three Legged Pets Who Prove That Nothing Can Stop Them

My boyfriend and I adopted her about a month after her amputation. She was rescued by a vet's office after she had chewed off her right rear leg. It was not quite known why she did this, but she was in a yard with other dogs and pretty emaciated, so it's believed that it was an act of survival. With this information, along with the large scar on her neck from an embedded collar, it was very clear that she was not taken care of properly. Luckily, she found her way into the perfect forever home. As my boyfriend and I were looking for a dog at the shelter, we passed by her kennel and did not notice she was missing a leg at first from the way she was lying down. After not connecting with the dog we originally had wanted, we went back and requested to meet her (we couldn't resist those ears) and that is when we realized her situation. Adopting a "special needs" dog (aka any pet with a physical, medical, or behavioral condition that requires special or ongoing care) was not ideal for us because we were starting out with our first apartment and navigating how to manage our lives as a young couple living together. We were worried that adopting her would be more expensive than adopting a four-legged dog due to the extra vet and medical care she might need, but we instantly connected with her and knew she needed to come home with us. It was love at first sight. We soon started an Instagram page to share her story and to meet other three-legged pets, or as the community calls them: tripawds. These animals tend to be looked over or left behind because of their disability, but they have just as much spirit and life as any healthy pet. To showcase their amazing ability to adapt, here are 19 amazing tripawds. And in case you can't get enough of them, since 19 just isn't enough, follow the hashtag #tripawdsofinstagram to see more of the adorable animals!

Luna was found on the side of the road in Tampa FL with a severely broken leg. She was taken in by a rescue that supported her through her amputation. Weeks later, she was adopted by her forever family. Luna has been a loving family member and constantly reminds them to never give up.

This brother and sister were both hit by a car that led to their amputations. Amarillo was found in limping in the streets of Dominican Republic. His right paw was almost detached and swollen from infection. It is believed that it was run over by a motorcycle. The vets amputated his right front paw and rescued shortly after. Luch was also a stray, living in Mexico, where she was found with an injured rear leg. She also had many broken teeth from trying to eat rocks because she was so hungry. Both are living with their blind fur brother, Teddy and sister Annie, who were both adopted from rescues. They still love chasing each other and won't let their missing leg stop them.

Bear was thrown off a cliff in Romania as a puppy but found by a woman who helped him recover from his injuries. The injuries resulted in his right front leg being amputated. Bear also has a permanent twitch which makes him look like he has constant hiccups. This never stopped him though and he loves running around with his brother Charlie and human mom and sister.

Brigh was in critical need of a foster after sustaining severe injuries. They were so extensive that his front leg and scapula needed to be removed. However, through all of this, he remained happy and bouncy. He was so wonderful that his foster dad couldn't give him up! Now he lives with his forever family and his crazy siblings.

Peggles ran away from her former home and was found outside of a Starbucks, hiding in a bush with no leg. No one knows for sure what happened, but the remaining part of her leg was amputated and had a dental specialist fix her teeth. Now she is spoiled in her forever home with her crazy brother! Although, now and then, she still wonders where her leg went.

A retired racing greyhound.

Willy was born with a "different" leg that needed to be amputated. He was originally in a high kill shelter in Tennesse, but luckily rescued the day he was scheduled to be euthanized and brought to a rescue in Pittsburgh. This is where he had his leg amputated and had an awesome foster mom who helped him recover. Willy was soon adopted by a newlywed couple and now living his best life.

Chicken was found roaming the streets of Colorado with a broken leg, which was broken for quite a while. At some point in her life, she was hit by a car. After multiple attempts to fix her broken leg, the rescue decided it was best to amputate her leg. Once adopted, she tried jumping in front of cars to protect her forever mom, earning her the name Chicken! Chicken is also training to be a service dog now that she is more stable on three legs!

Trip was found by a taxi driver when he was 3 months old. He was missing a leg. That was almost 10 years ago and he has adapted quickly. Trip is now a master of high fives

Arlo was a puppy when he was hit by a truck outside of his house. He thought it was time to play with his mom and didn't see the truck coming towards him. The skin on his paw was pulled away and the injury was too extensive to fix. His mom says that "if you couldn't see it, you would never know he was missing a leg". Arlo loves outrunning all of his four-legged friends. His family is grateful he still gets to live the best life he can.

Ginger slipped out of her collar and ran out into the street, getting hit by a car. Her rear legs were ran over. They tried saving both, and almost lost both, but was able to have one of her legs reconstructed and saved. Unfortunately, that meant she needed one amputated. She had to learn how to walk again on her reconstructed leg. Over time, she was able to regain her strength to walk again. It has been almost 2 years and Ginger continues to do great!

Thomas was hit by a car in May 2017 outside of a hospital. He wasn't wearing a collar and his microchip did not have information about his current home. The local SPCA took him in and amputated his leg. His amazing fosters took care of him and helped him heal. He remained in foster care until August 2018 because no one had wanted to adopt him until then. Now Thomas is a spoiled cat with his forever parents.

About a year ago, Clyde had a swollen knee and was diagnosed with a torn MCL. He went on anti-inflammatories and had a heavy duty wrap placed. The swelling went down but returned a few months later and his joints became stiff. This time, the vet thought it was bone cancer. They took a biopsy and amputated the leg. Since then, his scans have been clean. Clyde had some troubles figuring out how to navigate stairs as a new tripawd, but he is back to chasing tennis balls and squirrels at the park!

Sunny lost her leg due to cancer. A year after the amputation, her cancer returned. This time it was in her bladder and stronger than the first time. Sunny crossed the rainbow bridge in 2017, but her memory lives on. Her Instagram page is currently run by Violet and Sirius, who continue to remember the amazing Sunshine.

Max was hit by a car a few years ago before she found her home. This hasn't slowed her down. She still loves hiking and floating in a canoe and can easily keep up with her four-legged siblings!

Alice was born on a farm right before winter and managed to survive the harsh weather with her siblings. When she was 3 months old, her leg was caught in some equipment and mangled. The farmer let her walk around this mangled paw for about a month before she was taken in by a humane society. The vet said that it was so bad, she was technically walking around on the middle part of her bone. The vet amputated her leg but left her with a little nub that she loves to still use to play with toys or clean up after herself in the litterbox. Elwood was rescued 2 years after Alice from a different humane society. He was malnourished and running around an industrial yard with a rotting injury. While on the operating table, Elwood was considered dead and turned blue, but the vets worked extremely hard to bring him back to life. He was scared at first in his new home, but he is now a healthy cat who loves playing with his tripawd sister!

Champion (formally Severus) was picked up as a stray with a pretty bad wound on his leg. It looked like a wire was wrapped around the leg, cutting deep to the bone. The doctors decided to remove the leg after they found him chewing on it. He took to having three legs super quick and was zooming around in no time. A month later, he was put up for adoption and was quickly snatched up by his forever parents! His mom had a three-legged lab as a kid, so she knew Champion was meant to be in her life. Now he's living with his grumpy cat sister while eating lots of peanut butter and ice cubes!