Anna, 25, who has now been a veterinary surgeon for three years, said she didn’t have the heart so she took the pup home and named it Pi because it had 3.14 legs (pi is 3.14 ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle).
“Being part of a big litter Pi got squashed in the uterus and suffered a deformity,” Anna said. “The good thing is that Pi doesn’t know any different and copes well.
“Apart from her gimpy leg, there was nothing else wrong with Pi… I told the owner I was happy to take her on to save her, and she’s the best dog you could ever wish for. You wouldn’t know there was something wrong with her; she just gets on with life.”
And Pi has coped so well that she is one of a host of equally adored – and dare we say, spoiled – dogs who have passed their training at the Fleurieu Dog Obedience Centre, which has grown in numbers since moving to the Victor Harbor Hockey Club grounds, by the Encounter Bay Oval, with sessions on Monday nights.
Pi has advanced to her level 3 certificate, and Anna said she could not be more proud.
“Every now and again you see an animal brought in with a fault from birth and the owners usually op for euthanasia rather than finding them a home,” Anna said.
“Part of me understands that, but the other part doesn’t. Pi is an example of a dog being perfectly able to lead a happy, healthy life.
“They say you can’t save them all, but you can’t help feeling that; there is emotion and empathy with the clients and the animals with a majority.”
There’s also another reason why Pi’s name is appropriate – she gets 3.14 share of the daily meal with Anna’s two other dogs. Please don’t take your sick elephant to see her. CL
Enquiries: Fleurieu Dog Obedience Club; Joclyn 8555 1728