Therese Vu and her husband, Duc Tran, were devoted parents to two dogs who were inseparable for 16 years. When one passed away from kidney failure, the other followed with the same condition just one month later.
"I truly believe the second one passed away from a broken heart," Vu shared with The Dodo. "Losing them both was incredibly heartbreaking for me, and I wasn't sure if I could open up my heart and home to another dog again."
However, everything changed when Vu and her husband met Kanga and Roo.
Kanga and Roo are siblings who were born with only two legs, a result of overbreeding and inbreeding. Their breeder attempted to care for them for about a year but was overwhelmed by their special needs, as reported by the Georgia-based rescue group Angels Among Us. Eventually, the breeder made the difficult decision to surrender the Chihuahua pair to the rescue.
After spending several months in foster care and attending numerous adoption events without any interest, Vu came across a post about Kanga and Roo online.
"As soon as I saw Kanga and Roo, I just knew they were meant to be part of our family," Vu explained.
Vu and her husband researched extensively about caring for dogs with special needs, and by the time they met the pups, they were fully prepared to be their forever parents.
"Within seconds of interacting with them, they stole our hearts, took over our home, and completely transformed our lives," Vu recalled. "We officially adopted them on June 25, 2013, and couldn't imagine life without them."
Kanga and Roo adapted well to their new home. Their parents covered the floors with blankets and mats to facilitate their movements.
Now 5 years old, Kanga and Roo have grown up with just two legs each and have become adept at finding innovative ways to get around. They are exceptionally speedy at scooting or hopping and prefer this over using the wheelchairs specially made for them by their parents.
"Everywhere they walk indoors is soft and padded," Vu said. "Additionally, we wanted a solution for when they are outdoors."
By coincidence, the couple has a friend who works with human prosthetics and helped create sweaters for Kanga and Roo using the same material used by amputee patients before wearing a prosthetic limb. These sweaters prevent irritation or infection on the dogs' bellies from scooting along the floor and, as a bonus, make them look incredibly adorable.
"We were thrilled with how much this helped them, and we began offering these sweaters to owners of other two-legged dogs worldwide," Vu shared. "We provide these sweaters completely free of charge and have shipped them all over the U.S. and even internationally."
Kanga and Roo are affectionate and loving dogs who seem oblivious to their differences, especially since they are missing two legs. They have no difficulty getting around and spend every moment together.
These dogs have truly transformed the lives of their parents and everyone they meet.
"It's disheartening when people see differently-abled dogs and think they should be put down," Vu expressed. "I would challenge anyone who feels that way to spend just two minutes with Kanga and Roo. That's all it takes to realize how happy, energetic, lovable, and capable they truly are."
