SALEM, W.Va. (WBOY) — Roo, a two-legged Shepherd mix taken in by a West Virginia humane society, has officially gotten some shiny new wheels to take for a spin.
The one-year-old Roo (short for “kangaroo”) was born with a birth defect where his front legs weren’t properly formed. Now he’s testing out a new taste of freedom.
While he hasn’t fully learned to walk yet, he is making improvements, according to the Doddridge County Humane Society (DCHS) executive director, Deborah Casteel. She added that one move he’s already mastered is turning.
Roo currently wears his wheels once a day for 15 to 30 minutes as he gets used to them.
“I think once he realizes, ‘I can get around better, if I just move those hind feet a little, and don’t worry about the front’ then I don’t think it’ll take more than a week, maybe two at the most,” said Casteel.
“He was found kind of out in the country by a man who called and was hoping we could do something to help. He said (Roo) came to his house and so he had been feeding him for about a week, he had been really skinny but was hoping somebody could help,” Casteel said.
Casteel suspects Roo was taken care of since he was born and was then abandoned. “He would never have survived, especially in this area, you know, with coyotes and other things,” Casteel said.
Roo’s story has captured the hearts of people across the country, with the shelter getting applications, donations, and gifts by mail from places as far as Texas, New York and Florida. The outpouring of support Roo has received from the community started when the shelter asked for donations on social media in order to purchase the front-wheel cart.
“Well we did ask for $700 and we received over $2,000, which is amazing,” Casteel said. The excess money donated went straight to “Cain’s Benevolent Fund,” the same one that allowed for Roo’s care and was created by the shelter to help local families with their pet’s medical bills.
Roo was also neutered on Jan. 8 and the next chapter in his journey is to get adopted. Casteel said they have found a loving family that already has experience with dogs and checks off all the requirements they need to take care of the energetic, happy pup.
To donate to the shelter and submit adoption applications for the dozens of other cats and dogs awaiting their ‘furever’ home, you can go here.
