A dog who was rescued from the dog meat trade in Cambodia was gifted two front legs, allowing her to walk again.
Named Liberty, the dog was rescued by Los Angeles-based the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation (AHWF) from a slaughterhouse where she lost her front legs and was nearly killed for her meat, according to The Loudoun Tribune.
Related: Major South Korea Market Puts End to Dog Meat Trade
She was rescued by animal advocate Marc Ching of AHWF in April after he went undercover in Cambodia, posing as a dog meat trader, the outlet reports. He was able to rescue Liberty, along with other dogs, saving them from continued torture and suffering at the hands of dog meat butchers. In some countries, including Cambodia, parts of China and South Korea, dogs are brutalized, often beaten long term, skinned alive and electrocuted for their meat. Some people in these areas believe the more you hurt a dog, the tenderer his meat will be.
After rehabilitation at an Asian clinic, Liberty was flown to the U.S. to live with Ching in California. For the next few months, Ching looked for a company to help Liberty improve her walking (she could only move on her stubs). He finally discovered Animal Ortho Care in Virginia, which specialized in prosthetic limbs for dogs.
Related: Thanks to This Man, 1,000 Dogs Were Saved From Being Eaten at the Yulin Festival
At the facility, veterinarians created two replacement paws for Liberty. Now the pup can walk around easier, while the prosthetic limbs help her align her spine.
“We will make taller prosthetics once Liberty gets used to this height,” Derrick Campana, the director of Orthotics at Animal Ortho Care, tells This Dog’s Life. “We wanted to help Liberty like all the dogs we help because they deserve to be normal dogs again with a normal life. We love to help them . This is not only my job but my passion.”
Here is Liberty getting used to her new legs:
https://www.facebook.com/karen.gifford.503/videos/vb.1638923440/10210108432860860/?type=2&theater
Related: 120 South Korean Dogs Destined to Be Dog Meat Flown to New Jersey
