Second chances should always be this sweet.
Brutus, a two-year-old Rottweiler and a quadruple-amputee, is currently living a frisky life, thanks to Orthopets Denver and a university team from the veterinary teaching hospital — and, especially, the woman who rescued him.
Laura Aguilina, of Loveland, Colorado, first spotted Brutus, then badly crippled, in a parking lot, where his previous owner was trying to sell him.
After Laura took him in, a friend advised her to take him to Orthopets, a unique animal clinic specializing in innovative, biomechanically-correct prosthetic solutions for animals around the world.
Go On… Let Dogs Lick You, It’s Good For Your Health
Before Brutus could be fitted, he would require paw surgery at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, so she quickly created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his new legs and accompanying therapy. So far, almost $14,000 has been raised from 295 donors.
“Brutus is super sweet, ridiculously smart and has a very forgiving nature,” Aquilina told Good Morning America. “You would think a dog like him who’s been through so much wouldn’t trust people, but he’s a very gentle soul.”
More milestones lie ahead for Brutus: neuro-muscular re-education therapy and walking on an underwater treadmill. But the sweetest is the finalization of his adoption by Laura and her husband, which will take place next week.
(WATCH video below, or READ the story at KDVR News) – Photo Credit: Better Paws for Brutus
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Although Brutus’s story is wonderful, this version of it is inaccurate. Brutus was seen by a mother and her daughter, when he was for sale in the WalMart parking lot in Canon City, Co. They asked the breeder what happened to him and she told him she had amputated his toes after he had frostbite. They offered to take him, but didn’t have the money at the time that the breeder wanted. They left their phone number and later, she called and they took posession of the puppy. Brutus grew, and never did receive medical attention for his paws. They had tile floors and stairs and the mother had serious back injuries that required surgery and they knew they could no longer carry Brutus around as they had done when he was a puppy. A friend of mine, Kimberly Ables, saw an ad for Brutus “to a good home” and called me. The 2 of us went and met him and I set up a plan to get him some help. We were both associated with a rescue at the time and began a fundraising effort through that rescue using pay pal. We got him vaccinated and I set up his appointment with Orthopets (whom I knew about from helping a previous dog), and he saw Dr Barb Roberts at Blue Sky Animal clinic in Loveland, Co. Soon after, the rescue we had been associated with pulled out and told me they would no loger help Brutus. They took some of his fundraising money and still have not returned it. This was about a year ago. I was driving Brutus to and from Denver and Loveland for veterinary appoinments. My friend Janet Anderson, helped me set up his facebook page and Kimberly Ables set up his go fund me. Then life got busy and Kimberly had some health and family matters to attend to and then she moved. So , for months, it was me. Driving to and from Denver and Loveland and raising money. Luckily, an angel named Laura Aquilina contacted me about fostering Brutus. I interviewed her over the phone and my sister (Dr Barb Roberts DVM) did a home visit and assured me this would be a great placement for Brutus. Laura and her husband Rick met Brutus and I at one of his Orthopets appointments and fell in love with him. Together with Orthopets and Blue Sky Animal Clinic, we arranged his paw revision and neuter surgeries. I continued to make the 5 hour round trip drive for his appointments to accompany Laura and check on Brutus. Laura and I organized and held an onlie auction to raise money for Brutus. She and I made many trips to and from the post office and spent hours on spread sheets and photographs for the auction. She has been a wonderful foster and has done everything all the vets and therapists have asked of her. I was able to deal with my own personal issues and family illnesses and the death of my father without worry about Brutus. Now that CSU has taken over his therapy, and the national media is involved, the many people who helped Brutus along the way have been left out of his important journey. Brutus will cotinue to amaze people and his story is important to educate people on proper animal care and inspire those with disabilities to overcome. But the truth is also important because many people and businesses have been involved in making Brutus’s life better.