It was love at first sight for Melody Rezzonico and Gus, a two-legged dog. His adorable smile captured her heart at their first meeting. There was no turning back from that moment on.
Melody could see that he was missing two legs but was unaware of the rest of his medical history. It did not matter to her because she thought he was worth fighting for regardless of his medical issues, whatever they might turn out to be.
Melody’s First Impression of the Two-legged Dog
The first time that Melody saw a photo of Gus she immediately thought of a baby kangeroo. She quickly sent a picture of Gus to her mother. Melody eagerky informed her mom how desperately she wanted to adopt Gus as a member of their family.
When Gus was four months old he was abandoned by his owners. Lucky for Gus, Melody met him at a local shelter and fell in love with him. Gus could tell right away that he had found a new family to join.
As it turns out, Gus was not the only dog in the family. There were already two furbabies in the family. One of them is a herding dog.
In spite of having only two legs, Gus was more active than his two adopted brothers. Melody quickly realized that Gus needed a wheelchair to be able to tun and explore alongside his siblings.
She could hardly wait to give him the freedom to run and play with less limitations than he currently experienced. Melody was excited just to think about the joy Gus would experience.
Gus was thrilled with the wheelchair and took full advantage of the new freedom it gave him. The wheelchair worked well on even the rough paths and on the highways. However, there were some limitations.
There were some areas of the terrain where the wheelchair did not work very well. He would tip over frequently if he got off course or if there was snow on the path.
The Next Step In Their Journey
Fortunately, Melody knew that she another option. There was something else she could do to help Gus enjoy his freedom even more. It would take a long drive from Wyoming to Virginia but Melody was more than willing to make that trip for Gus.
Melody and Gus made the road trip to visit OrthoPest. This is a store that specializes in prosthetics for animals. Upon arrival, they measured Gus for a customized “body shell prostetic limb”.
They were able to create a prosthetic shaped like a snowboard! This allowed Gus to motivate throught the snow easier and faster.
Two-Legged Dog Not Limited Nor Held Back Because Of It
In addition to his snow-board shaped prosthetic, Gus now has several others to help him get around anywhere he wants to go. He enjoys backpacking, kayaking and backpacking as well as other fun activities.
Gus has not been held back in the least by his missing legs. He has traveled to many different locations. Whether scaling 14,000 foot mountains or racing across dunes, Gus continues being active.
Even though Gus started off his life with a great deal of difficulty, everything changed when Melody came into his life. She took him into her family and gave him love and the ability to motivate freely.
Melody refused to allow Gus to be held back by having only two legs. She took on every challenge and found solutions to them. Because of her determination, Gus was able to be the happy, energetic dog we see here.
In spite of how puppies come into this world or the treatment they receive early on in life, they all deserve this degree of love and attention.
This story of Melody and Gus is inspirational. If you know others who would enjoy reading this story, please pass it on to them.
If you are aware of other inspirational stories of how adopted dogs found wonderful homes, please share them with me. Here is a story about another two-legged dog. https://happymutt.org/two-legged-puppy-rocks-lego-wheelchair/
All photos courtesy of @the3gs_and_Melody/Instagram