Abused chihuahua with mutilated paws receives new booties to help her walk comfortably

A chihuahua whose paws were mutilated might be able to walk comfortably again after receiving a special set of boots this holiday season.

Chloe, a chihuahua mix who lives in Hong Kong, first arrived at Catherine’s Puppies in August with no paw pads or claws on all four of her legs. A veterinarian who treated her said someone cut them off. Because of her injuries, Chloe couldn't put weight on her front left leg. 

“She was found by volunteers heavily pregnant and with her injuries already healed,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “There is no way to find the monsters responsible, so please no comments demanding justice for her in that sense.”

On Tuesday, Chloe received booties from Sweden to provide padding underneath her legs, says her new owner, Preeti Sharma. She’s getting two boots – one for each front leg. 

They plan to put one boot on at a time, Sharma told USA TODAY on Tuesday morning, adding that Chloe hasn’t quite taken to the boots yet. 

“The boots are not heavy, but we tried to put the boots on to her … and she refused to use her leg,” her owner said. “So I think it will take some time for her to get used to it. We can't put two boots together because otherwise she won't walk.”

Dog’s boots were ordered after veterinarian researched, consulted worldwide colleagues

Sharma adopted Chloe the same week the shelter posted about her. She had adopted dogs from Catherine’s Puppies before and knew she wanted to help the pup. 

The doctor who treated her said she had never seen such a horrible case of abuse. She spoke to orthopedic colleagues in London and Sweden and did research of her own. 

Chloe’s two front paws are chopped to the bone.

“Doctors have done X-rays and they can see that if we don't give her the comfortable space, then very soon we might have to do the surgery for her legs and cut those bones off,” Sharma said. “We don't want to do that, so we are going to make sure that these booties are comfortable.”

Once she’s comfortable with those, the family will look into getting prosthetics for Chloe.

Sharma has seven dogs, including Chloe, many of whom have their own ailments. Two in particular have helped make Chloe more comfortable, Sharma said.

Abused dog is terrified of men, owner says

Sharma surmises that a man likely hurt Chloe because she is terrified of men.

“Dogs never forget the trauma,” she said. “She doesn't allow my son to go near her.”

When men approach her, she urinates on herself and trembles, Sharma said. If they are going to a doctor’s visit and need to take a cab, Sharma has to make sure the driver is not a man.

She believes Chloe was abused daily because when she first adopted the dog, she’d cower on the floor, close her eyes and cry, Sharma said.

“But the minute I go near her, she knows I'm going to give a belly rub,” she said. “We will not hurt her. She knows in this house, she’s safe.”

Chloe is a ‘gentle soul,’ finds comfort in other dogs in her new home

Sharma said that when she’s at her best, Chloe is “a gentle soul” who doesn’t get angry. She gets along well with the family’s other six dogs.

“She learned how to play with the toys, and now she likes to protect her toys,” Sharma said. “She knows that she is accepted in the family.”

Sometimes she takes Chloe on golf cart rides so she can enjoy a nice breeze. She just can’t go to busy places like the market, she said.

Sharma’s dogs Ivy and Zac have helped Chloe adjust, she said.

“Don't laugh, but Ivy is like an old lady,” Sharma said. “In the morning, we have to let Ivy go in our … garden for an hour so that she can walk. She can't walk with the other dogs because the other dogs have no awareness of the space. Ivy walks by herself.”

When Chloe first arrived, she’d hide in the bushes when they took her outside. Ivy helped by allowing Chloe to walk with her.

Chloe also loves spending time with Zac, one of Sharma’s more playful dogs.

“When Chloe sees Zac, she's very happy,” Sharma said. “Slowly, she has gotten used to all the dogs, so now she plays with everyone.”

Pup adopted by Hong Kong’s ‘most famous foster FAIL parent’

Sharma joked that the shelter refers to her as the "most famous foster FAIL parent" because she always ends up keeping her foster animals. 

Sharma has adopted five dogs from Catherine’s Puppies, she told USA TODAY. She initially took in Chloe and two of her puppies.

“We will make sure the pups get adopted, but Chloe’s staying with us,” Sharma recalls telling her daughter when they first came across Chloe’s story. “We've had her for the last 4½ months now.”

Most of the dogs she has are sick and won’t survive in an animal shelter, she said. Some have had cancer, decades-long infections, seizures and other illnesses.

Sharma said she plans to participate in a run to raise money for animals that need help and raise awareness about abused animals like Chloe. 

She doesn’t want to dwell on how Chloe ended up at the shelter though. What’s important, she said, is that people know how precious animals are and don’t treat them like a commodity.

“It's a relationship,” she said. “It's a commitment for a lifetime.”