Three-year old Sapphyre Johnson from Tennessee has amputated feet, and her new puppy has no paw. Sapphyre was born having a rare condition that caused her to be without some fingers and both her feet to be amputated at the age of one. Other than that, she is a healthy toddler.
However, she has spent a lot of her time as a patient in Greenville, South Carolina at the Shriners Hospital, where she was receiving surgeries for prosthetic feet.
In this town, Karen Riddle, a German shepherd breeder had a puppy born without a front paw. Instead of killing the dog as advised by other breeders, she gave it to Shriners Hospital with a hunch that it would benefit a kid there.
The gesture changed Sapphyre’s and Lt. Dan’s- the puppy- life forever.
Without the paw
Lt. Dan, the puppy was born without paw on his right leg.
The perfect match
Sapphyre was perfect for the puppy. When she saw Lt. Dan’s picture, she said that it was her puppy because he looked just like her. The child life specialist at Shriners said that the dog is special, and it will go to a special child.
The two meeting
They fell in love instantly. When Sapphyre was told to show the puppy her feet, she removed the prosthetics and socks, and Lt. Dan also put up his paw at the same time. Most children do not get the opportunity to see other kids or animals with problems similar to theirs.
Back home and inseparable
Sapphyre and Lt. Dan are now in Tennessee, and they are inseparable.
They are best friends, and they go everywhere together. Lt. Dan follows her everywhere. Finding each other was the best thing that happened to both of them.
