Meet Ellery Max: an adorable English bulldog who was born with five legs.
Ellery was born to a breeder in Southern California. When the breeder saw Ellery’s extra leg, she quickly called up a local shelter. She told the shelter she wanted to give them Ellery because she didn’t have time to care of him.
The shelter then called Laura Lee Labelle, an animal rescuer who runs The Labelle Foundation. Laura was surprised when she heard about Ellery’s extra leg, but she still quickly said she would foster him.
“I said, ‘yes bring him.’ Four legs, five legs, six legs. They’re all welcome here,” Laura said.
The shelter brought Ellery over to Laura’s house, and they warned Laura that the newborn puppy might only live a few hours. Laura was determined to help the puppy survive.
Ellery had some developmental delays, and so Laura made sure to keep a close eye on him. It was hard for him to ingest formula, but Laura was patient with him. She kept coaxing him until he was able to drink.
It took a long time for Ellery to open his eyes. Most puppies open them at 10 days, but Ellery didn’t open his until he was three weeks old.
Ellery defied all the odds and lived. As the months went by, he grew bigger and stronger.
Ellery was a happy, friendly puppy who loved people and dogs. Laura always had foster dogs coming and going from her house, and Ellery loved getting to meet all of these new friends.
“Ellery is the sweetest, most loving, protective big lump,” Laura said. “We have a million puppies come and go from our house, and Ellery just loves everybody.”
For the few months of Ellery’s life, his fifth leg grew along with him. But then, his fifth leg stopped growing, and it began simply dangling from his backside. The leg started rubbing against his back legs, irritating them and making it hard for him to walk. That’s when Laura knew they would have to remove his back leg.
Laura took Ellery in for surgery, and it was a success! After Ellery recovered from the surgery, he was able to run and play with all the other dogs.
Soon after the surgery, Ellery went to stay with Road Dogs and Rescue, a rescue group that specializes in finding homes for bulldogs who have had medical problems. The rescue group is determined to find the right forever home for sweet Ellery.
“Ellery’s joy for life is contagious. He is an extra special, some say, miracle boy. He overcame the odds, he was born with, because he knows he was meant to live. And to LOVE! And we believed in him! He loves his people…He loves to give hugs, when you come home. He loves car rides. He will love you and to share his joie de vivre with you!” Road Dogs and Rescue wrote on their website.
Ellery is a sweet dog who overcame some incredible odds. If you’d like to learn more about Ellery, check out the video below.
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