Chi Chi, an adorable golden retriever mix, is getting a new leash on life.
The 2-year-old pup, who animal advocates say was abandoned in a trash bag at a South Korean meat market, has reportedly found a forever home in Phoenix, Arizona.
When the dog was found by a local animal rescue group in South Korea, her legs were bound by wire, the Associated Press reports. Her rescuers determined that all of Chi Chi's legs needed to be amputated and replaced with prosthetics. The pup spent two months learning to use prosthetic paws at a Seoul veterinary clinic.
Shannon Keith, president of Animal Rescue, Media, and Education (ARME), a California-based nonprofit that helps rescue homeless animals, told the AP that Chi Chi might have been slaughtered for meat if she hadn't been rescued.
Luckily for Chi Chi, her new family in Arizona loves her just the way she is. Richard Howell who adopted the dog with his wife and daughter, told the AP that when his family learned about Chi Chi through ARME, they "just felt a connection with her." The Howells have three other dogs, so Chi Chi is in good company.
Howell's daughter, Megan, told Fox 10 Phoenix that the family hopes to have Chi Chi trained to work as a therapy dog. Chi Chi could then visit Veterans Affairs hospitals and children's hospitals to inspire other amputees, the family told Arizona's 12 News.
"I think her story is really special, and once we get her certified as a therapy dog, I think she can improve some people's live greatly," Howell told Fox 10.
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