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When he first laid eyes on Tre in a dog shelter, he was told adopting a disabled dog would be a lot of hard work – the Labrador cross was born with a deformity that led to a leg being amputated. But that didn’t stop Kyle McCreight from taking the mutt home.
Since moving to his forever home, Tre is like a dog with two tails: he loves running around the yard, chasing squirrels and rabbits. Now the three-legged happy hound is inspiring amputees at a rehabilitation centre.
“People with amputations relate to him as they understand his struggle,” Kyle says. “They see how happy he is and realise if Tre can do it, they can too.
“He uplifts people and gives them hope for their future.”
Two years ago Kyle, an occupational therapist from Florida in the US, adopted Tre at a local dog shelter. “When Tre and I met, I was going through a very difficult time and I felt I needed something to care about,” he says.
“My job is to help people recover from injuries and get their independence back so I felt I could help Tre. Now he helps others by providing comfort and affection at therapy sessions. He’s such a happy dog and loved by everyone.”
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Tre’s road to recovery hasn’t been easy. In his first six months he endured two major surgeries. When Kyle met Tre, he “was still getting used to walking around on three legs”.
But Kyle fell for the pup and was determined to adopt him. Before taking him home, the 33-year-old had to make several adjustments to his house. Because Tre would slip on his tiled floors, he placed yoga mats and carpets all around the place to make it easier for Tre to walk around.
“I also had to help him learn how to stand up and learn how to balance,” Kyle says. “We gradually built up the strength in his back leg so he could walk around on his own.”
Three months into living with Kyle, Tre suffered a major setback. The pooch started experiencing severe pain in his back leg and would cry whenever he walked.
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Kyle took him to the vet, where he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a condition that occurs when blood flow doesn’t reach the bone and causes it to deteriorate. Tre had to undergo surgery, but doctors weren’t sure if he would walk again. Luckily, the pooch responded to treatment and went from strength to strength.
“He’s really an inspiration,” Kyle says. “He lost one leg, and he almost lost another leg. Now he walks around, runs around the yard, chases squirrels and rabbits – there’s really nothing he can’t do.”
Kyle is sharing his story because he wants to help people with missing limbs.
“People should see the amputation as an opportunity to inspire and grow as a person rather than dwell on the missing limb,” he says. “Like Tre, they can't get it back so they should focus on accepting and readjusting to the new normal.”
Sources: Mirror, Power of Positivity, News Channel 8
