FEB. 25, 2015 UPDATE: Samer Samir Ibrahim, Rocky’s original owner, is scheduled to be arraigned today on two misdemeanor counts of animal abuse, the Orange County Register reports. If convicted, the most he faces is up to one year in jail.
There’s happy news for Rocky, the 11-month-old German Shepherd who was dumped at an Orange County, Calif., shelter last month by his owner — who said he had no idea why his dog had chewed off his own foot.
Although his entire back right leg had to be amputated, the now 1-year-old pup has been healing “like a champ, a master on three legs,” according to an update today on the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue OC Facebook page.
The best news of all is that Rocky’s foster family decided to make him a permanent addition. They have officially adopted the lucky pup.
Rocky’s name has been changed to Aron Ralston (“Rally” for short), after the mountain climber who fell into a crevice and, after five days, had to cut off his right forearm to free himself. The 2010 movie “127 Hours“* was based on Ralston’s ordeal.
Why did Rally chew off his own foot? Tiffany Norton of Coastal German Shepherd Rescue O.C., who immediately took him from the shelter to Alicia Pet Care Center in Mission Viejo last month or treatment, had an idea why he did it.
“It was likely a situation where he became entangled in a rope or chain that basically cut off the circulation on his foot, and he chewed his foot to free himself,” Norton told KABC.
Dr. Matthew Wheaton, one of the veterinarians who treated Rally, agreed with Norton.
“He was likely tied to a pole, stake or tree via a long chain and got his back foot tangled in the chain, which cut off blood supply to the foot,” he told the Orange County Register.
“Chewing off a part of the body that is devitalized is likely a highly evolved trait,” he said. “The only dogs that would survive an issue like this would be those that would take to drastic measures to escape what they were tangled in.”
Ryan Drabek, former director of OC Animal Care, said last month that the case is being investigated.
Photo via Facebook