BARL’s three-legged dog full of life

Published 9:46 pm Saturday, September 19, 2015

Photos by Julia V. Pendley / Above, BARL’s trainer Roger Lambright plays with Prosper Thursday afternoon. Below, Prosper lost one of his legs after being hit by a car.

Photos by Julia V. Pendley / BARL’s trainer Roger Lambright plays with Prosper Thursday afternoon. 

When you first meet Prosper, you might miss that he’s a little difference. In fact, odds are the first thing you’ll notice about him is that he’s a bundle of energy. But as he’s running you’ll start to notice a hop in his gait and then you’ll realize Prosper has just three legs.

Prosper, a boxer mix, was first brought to the Brookhaven Animal Rescue League in April 2013. Then, he had all four of his legs. BARL adopted him out thinking he was headed to a good home. But before long, Prosper was returned sporting a broken leg.

Prosper lost one of his legs after being hit by a car.

Prosper lost one of his legs after being hit by a car.

His former owner said the leg was broken due to a car. BARL was looking at a $700 vet bill to get the broken leg amputated. Roger Lambright, the shelter trainer, said they turned to Facebook to raise the money. He said he wasn’t sure exactly how much money they raised from that, but BARL was able pay for the surgery.

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After a month in a foster home, Prosper returned to BARL, where he now waits for his new forever home.

Lambright said despite his disadvantage Prosper is a very high-energy dog.

“I’ll take him and my German shepherd out in the front to play,” he said. “He was knocking her silly.”

He said children will come to the shelter to walk the dogs, and they take Prosper up the road to the ballpark. They will let him run around for 45 minutes or an hour.

“When they come back, his tongue’s hanging out dragging the floor, and he still wants more,” she said.

Lambright said he still needs a little bit of work, but he learns quickly and gets along with people.

“I come up here and work with those that need to be socialized,” he said. “I don’t have to work with him much.”

Although Lambright said Prosper is a good dog, he did offer a few cautions. Prosper likes to jump, so it may be difficult for those with small children to take care of him. If the new owner was dedicated, they could probably train him out of it.

It was also recommended that the new owner have a fenced yard because Prosper likes to run and is prone to chasing cars.

Lambright also suggested doing a pet introduction. Prosper currently stays in the middle pen at BARL and gets along well with those dogs, but he said he can’t promise he gets along with all dogs. Lambright said pet introductions are always a good idea before adopting a new furry friend.

For more information about Prosper or the other dogs at BARL, call 601-757-4367 or visit barl.net.