PORT ANGELES — Playing fetch, German shepherd Kyna hardly seems to notice that she’s running on three legs.
She sprints and leaps with enthusiasm, but not always grace. Her right front leg, frozen in a curled up position against her body — throws her slightly off balance.
The leg was injured when Kyna, now 3 years old, was a pup of 6 months.
She fell out of the back of a pickup because she wasn’t properly harnessed, said Paula Creasey, volunteer coordinator at the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
Her former owners didn’t have her leg treated or amputated, Creasey said.
Instead, they tied her leg to her body, and the growing limb fixed in that position as if cemented.
“She is such a sweet dog, she didn’t deserve this,” Creasey said.
Her former owners gave her up to the Humane Society, which has placed Kyna in foster care until the damaged leg can be amputated and a new home found for her.
Kyna has a gentle, friendly nature, and would make a great family pet, said Cathy Wright, one of Kyna’s foster parents.
“She is everyone’s friend.”
“She likes everybody, other dogs, even cats.”
Wright said she took Kyna in after hearing that a German shepherd was at the shelter.
“Some breeds really go downhill if they are in a shelter too long, and German shepherds are one of those,” Wright said.
