Faith (dog)

Faith (December 22, 2002 - September 22, 2014) was a bipedal female dog, born with three legs; two fully developed hind legs and a deformed front leg, which was amputated when she was seven months old after it began to atrophy.[1] Her owner, Jude Stringfellow, adopted Faith when the mother dog was found trying to smother the deformed puppy—her son rescued the puppy and brought her home. Many people, including veterinarians, advised that Faith be euthanized.[1] Instead, using a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive, Jude taught Faith to hop. Faith began to walk on her own. The family's corgi would bark at Faith from another room, or nip her heels to urge her to walk.[1][2]

Faith
Faith, in 2008
SexFemale
BornDecember 22, 2002
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
DiedSeptember 22, 2014 (aged 11)
Hendricks County, Indiana
Notable roleFamily pet
Years active2002 - 2014
Known forbipedal or human dog

Faith was given a non-commission rank of E5 Sgt. at Ft. Lewis, Washington in June 2006. She visited more than 2,300 wounded warriors in hospitals and wards throughout the world, and was seen by more than 2,000,000 active soldiers at bases, airports, and ceremonies. She wore her ACU jacket proudly, and would get excited when it was pulled out of the closet, as she knew it meant she was about to meet soldiers.

Because of Faith, more people are giving their animals born different a chance to live. Faith is not the only two-legged walking dog now that we know of. There is a chihuahua in Texas, with a similar condition who also walks upright, but Faith is the most famous.[3]

Her death was announced on September 23, 2014.

Media coverage

A book has been published detailing Faith's story entitled "Faith Walks...A Memoir of a Beautiful Life".[4] Faith and her owner, Jude Stringfellow, have also been featured on Maury, The Oprah Winfrey Show,[2] The Montel Williams Show, Animal Attractions Television and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Faith also had a brief mention on the PBS show NOVA in the episode The Family That Walks On All Fours.[5] As a result of the media attention, Faith now has her own website, as well as her own page on MySpace.[6]

A short article on Faith that appeared in the "racy" London lad mag Bizarre in 2004 was allegedly the cause of owner Stringfellow's dismissal from her culinary college teaching job.[7] The dog was also rumoured to have been considered for an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[8]

In February 2007, MSNBC reported that American Airlines had accidentally sent Faith to a different destination than her owner, after changing planes in Dallas during a flight back from Oklahoma City to Orlando.[9][10]

References
  1. Ginnie Graham (2003). "Two legs are just as good as four for OKC family pet". The Daily Ardmoreite - Tulsa World. Archived from the original on February 26, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  2. Oprah Winfrey.com (2006). "The Gift of Giving Back". Oprah Winfrey.com. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  3. NBC4 - District of Columbia (2007). "2-Legged Dog Wins Hearts - Nubby Celebrates 3rd Birthday". NBC4.com - Internet Broadcasting Systems. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  4. Jude Stringfellow (2006). Faith Walks. [S.l.]: iUniverse Corporation. p. 292. ISBN 1462034527.
  5. PBS (2006). "Family that walks on all fours". Public Broadcasting System. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  6. Mike Dougherty (2007). "Digital Mike - Sites to see". Post-Bulletin. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  7. KFOR - NBC Oklahoma City (2004). "Two legged dog 'Faith' draws unwanted attention". KFOR - NBC Oklahoma City. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  8. BBC News (9 September 2004). "Potter film hope for disabled dog". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  9. NBC4.com (2007). "Airline Loses Celebrity 2-Legged Dog - 'Faith' Born Without Use Of Front Legs". NBC4.com - Internet Broadcasting Systems. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  10. MSNBC News Service (2007). "Airline loses, then finds Faith". NBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
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