www.TheNewBarker.com 50 THE NEW BARKER It’s A Great Day To Save A Life. “I’ll never forget the call, that moment when the doctor told me Smudge would lose his leg,” said Cheri, co-founder of LoveyLoaves Special Needs Rescue & Sanctuary in Central Florida. “Time just stopped for me.” She put down the phone and explained the situation to her husbandWard, who looked at Cheri and said,“Smudge isn’t going to care if his leg is amputated.” Other than dealing with the post surgery pain and recovery process, Ward was right. Smudge was completely back to normal almost right away.“He was getting around on three legs just as nor- mal as if he still had four,” said Cheri. Dogs are not vane, nor are they wired with the emotional bag- gage humans carry. Consequently, dogs rebound faster after a limb loss. Dogs are not self-conscious, don’t over-analyze things or reflect on the past. Smudge woke up with one less leg, rolled with the punches and just went on being a dog. Saffy is another LoveyLoaves dog that epitomizes their work. The double amputee rips and runs around theWells’ backyard, some- times flipping her cart like she’s in a roller derby race. She rights her- self and keeps on going.“She is who she is and that is very profound, for me. These dogs don’t know that they’re different,” said Cheri. “They rip up the lawn running while playing in their carts.We have to re-sod every year.” There is so much we can learn from dogs.They are resilient, no matter the situation.Smudge went on to live until he was 17 - anoth- er seven years after his leg was amputated.“He was the center of our lives for so long,” said Cheri. What inspires someone to make it their life’s goal to work with special needs dogs? For Cheri and Ward Wells it was a special senior Beagle Shepherd mix named Smudge with a cruciate ligament injury. The only option for Smudge was to amputate his leg. by Anna Cooke Above: Smudge.Top, left to right: ColbyBean, Jumpy, Cheri with Molly at her cart fitting.