Sadie, an American foxhound, went missing in late 2014. Over the next 3 years, she traveled nearly 400 miles to upstate New York. Fortunately, her story has a happy ending.
In January 2017, dog control officer Linda Hamilton received a call that a stray hound was spotted dragging a coyote trap on her right hind leg. Other sightings occurred between January and June, and rescuers determined that the dog, now named Sadie, was traveling about nine miles a day. When they finally captured her, they noticed she had lost a tooth – likely from trying to free herself from the trap – and had a tear in her tongue. It’s speculated that she also had a litter of puppies in the wild; an infection in her uterus would have killed her if she hadn’t been rescued. After locating Sadie’s previous family and learning they didn’t want her back, Hamilton adopted her.
Sadie’s hind leg wasn’t able to be saved, so Hamilton contacted Chris Frye, assistant clinical professor of sports medicine and rehabilitation at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, to inquire about fitting Sadie with a prosthetic limb. Sadie turned out to be a perfect candidate for a prosthesis, since her amputation had occurred below the ankle. She was recently fitted for one and today, she’s able to walk – and even run – without a hitch!
