Faith (dog)

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Faith, a bipedal female dog, was born in December of 2002 with only three legs; two fully-developed hind legs and a deformed front leg, which was amputated when she was 7 months old after it began to atrophy.[1] Her owner, Jude Stringfellow, adopted Faith when the mother dog was found trying to smother the deformed puppy-- her son rescued the puppy and brought her home. Many people, including veterinarians, advised that Faith be euthanized.[1] Instead, using a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive, Jude taught Faith to hop but Faith decided on her own to walk; the family's corgi would bark at Faith from another room, or nip her heels to urge her to walk.[1][2]

Faith is not the only two-legged dog, there is a chihuahua in Texas, with a similar condition who also walks upright, but Faith is probably the most famous.[3]

[edit] Media coverage

A book has been published detailing Faith's story entitled With a Little Faith[4]. Faith and her owner, Jude Stringfellow, have also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show,[2] The Montel Williams Show, and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Faith also had a brief mention on the PBS show NOVA in the episode The Family That Walks On All Fours. [5] As a result of the media attention, Faith now has her own website, as well as her own page on MySpace.[6]

A short article on Faith that appeared in the "racy" London lad mag Bizarre in 2004 was allegedly the cause of owner Stringfellow's dismissal from her community college teaching job.[7] The dog was also rumored to have been considered for an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[8]

In February 2007, MSNBC reported that American Airlines had accidentally sent Faith to a different destination than her owner, after changing planes in Dallas during a flight back from Oklahoma City to Orlando.[9][10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Ginnie Graham (2003). Two legs are just as good as four for OKC family pet (English). The Daily Ardmoreite - Tulsa World. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Oprah Winfrey.com (2006). The Gift of Giving Back (English). Oprah Winfrey.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  3. ^ NBC4 - District of Columbia (2007). 2-Legged Dog Wins Hearts - Nubby Celebrates 3rd Birthday (English). NBC4.com - Internet Broadcasting Systems,. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  4. ^ Jude Stringfellow (2006). With a Little Faith, Second Edition. [S.l.]: Xlibris Corporation, 292. ISBN 1-4257-1849-3. 
  5. ^ PBS (2006). Family that walks on all fours (English). Public Broadcasting System. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  6. ^ Mike Dougherty (2007). Digital Mike - Sites to see (English). Post-Bulletin. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  7. ^ KFOR - NBC Oklahoma City (2004). Two legged dog 'Faith' draws unwanted attention (English). KFOR - NBC Oklahoma City. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  8. ^ BBC News. "Potter film hope for disabled dog", BBC News Online, 9 September 2004. Retrieved on 2007-09-22. 
  9. ^ NBC4.com (2007). Airline Loses Celebrity 2-Legged Dog - 'Faith' Born Without Use Of Front Legs (English). NBC4.com - Internet Broadcasting Systems. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  10. ^ MSNBC News Service (2007). Airline loses, then finds Faith (English). MSNBC. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.

[edit] External links