A Lake County woman is training her puppy, 7-month-old Doc, to be a therapy dog so that he can inspire kids with special needs and disabled veterans.
- Doc, a lab-rotweiler mix, was born with only 3 working legs
- Jes Street is training Doc to be a therapy dog
- Doc needs his non-working leg amputated
Earlier this year, Jes Street flew to Wisconsin to adopt 'Doc,' a lab-rotweiler mix that was born with only 3 working legs.
"He was born without his shoulder bone and one of his arm bones, so he has a short leg," says Street.
Street is a single mom and a nursing student, and says she sought out a special needs therapy dog.
"One of the reasons that I got a dog like Doc is so that I could use him as a therapy dog, to be with these kids at the hospital that I hope to work at some day," she says.
Street says Doc is halfway through his training, but will need to have his leg amputated first.
"He's unable to do commands such as "down" and "heal" because he basically falls, and it's also affecting his posture, because it's causing him to stand crooked," says Street.
Street hopes to have the surgery soon, so that Doc can start helping others just like him with special needs.
"I think he'll be able to resonate with them and I think they’ll be able to be empowered by seeing him be able to get around and seeing that he's happy," says Street.
Street is raising funds for Doc's surgery, and a GoFundMe account has been set up for donations.
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