High Schoolers Create Prosthetic Paw For Special Needs Dog Called ‘Forrest Stump’ [Video]

• When Forrest Stump was rescued with his mom and siblings, he was missing one of his back paws and the area was infected.
• Their family was brought to the west by the Texas Rescue Riders and high schoolers from the Case National School in Wisconsin are working on a prosthetic leg for Forrest.
• A family is waiting to adopt Forrest after he is fitted with the prosthetic leg.

---

Three-month old Forrest Stump was found in an abandoned camper with his mom and siblings in southern Texas.  He was missing one of his back paws and the area was infected when he was rescued. In spite of his missing limb, he remained a happy and playful pup.

The Texas Rescue Riders brought him, his mom and siblings back to health before bringing them to the Midwest and helping them find forever homes.

Forrest is currently living with his foster family and some highschoolers at Case High School in Wisconsin are hard at work to create a prosthetic claw for him.

Their teacher, Sara Gauthier explained that the paw is a capstone project that would provide a solution to a real-world problem.  She said, “It’s empowering for the kids to try way harder than if it was just something that I came up with in the classroom and said, ‘here make this, I’m the only one that’s going to see it.’ Now, it’s really putting the pressure on them in understanding that this is really going to be used and what I’m doing really counts, really matters.”

It is also an additional motivation for the students that what they would come up with would have a great impact on Forrest.

As Caitlin McGuire said, “This is like a living creature and this could really impact his life. So, it’s really nerve-wracking, but it’s exciting that if it goes successful, then we can help the puppy.”

The students have already used a 3D laser to scan Forrest’s paws and taken and recorded his measurements. Next move is to think of solutions.

They are now speeding up their efforts to have Forrest’s prosthetic foot before the winter snow falls.

We wish you all the best. 

As for Forrest, it is going to be not just a new prosthetic leg but a new forever home to look forward to when the project is done.  Have a Merry Christmas, Forrest! 

Source: I Heart Dogs