Internet in Tears as 'Unique' Puppy Born With Claw Foot Finds a Loving Home

We all like to think that our pets are perfect, even if they drive us up the wall sometimes. But social media viewers have fallen head over heels for a 15-week-old golden retriever who was born with a deformed paw, and her owner certainly doesn't see her as anything less than perfect. When Deanna Crowder, 29, planned on getting a male golden retriever puppy, the breeder told her she had another one she couldn't sell because the dog was "missing a toe." There was no chance that Crowder would leave her behind, so she offered to take them both. Crowder told Newsweek she only saw the paw "for the first time" when she collected the two puppies weeks later. She soon realized the problem was more than just a missing toe: The dog, named Phoenix, has a condition called ectrodactyly, otherwise known as "claw foot." Claw foot is a congenital malformation that causes a split between the metacarpal and the radius and ulna bones. Treatment includes reconstructive surgery or amputation. Crowder, who lives in South Carolina, said: "When we brought Phoenix home, we noticed her limping on that leg, so we decided to take her to a surgeon. They took clinical X-rays to see what was going on with her."

The X-rays showed how "unique and complicated" Phoenix's leg is because claw foot wasn't her only problem. In that same front leg, her ulna bone is deformed and restricts the radius bone from growing. Crowder made the expensive decision to go through with surgery to correct Phoenix's bone, which wasn't growing correctly. "They basically cut out a piece of her ulna to release the pressure which was causing her radius bone to bow outwards instead of growing straight," she said. "Financially, it was a tough decision because it was a lot of money and had to be paid up front," she went on. "But if we were going to do it, we wanted to medically intervene sooner rather than later, before she continued to grow with the deformity. So we decided to move forward and give her the best chance." Since her surgery on May 14, Phoenix appears to be recovering very well so far. Crowder jokes that you wouldn't even "know she had surgery," given the way she runs around excitedly and wants to play all the time. Crowder won't know if the surgery was successful until she's about a year old, but Phoenix will have several X-rays until then to see how her bone is growing. She will always have her claw foot, as there is only one digit in that paw, but hopefully this will fix her leg deformity. "If it's necessary to stay on this path, another surgery between now and then isn't off the table. It all depends on whether it would be in her best interest to keep her leg or amputate it," Crowder said.

How Did Social Media Respond?

After discovering the full extent of Phoenix's ectrodactyly and leg deformity, Crowder shared her story in a post on TikTok (@dannahhgibb). Within days, it went viral and has generated more than 3 million views and over 194,100 likes. Crowder loves Phoenix in spite of her condition and said "she's going to have a full and fulfilled life" no matter what life has in store for her. She had no idea the clip would get so much attention online, but she's been delighted by the positive response. "We have gotten so much support from people telling us their stories of pets with the same paw condition and others thanking us for doing whatever we need to for her." The post has over 980 comments already, and plenty of TikTok users praised Crowder for giving Phoenix her best shot at living a happy life. One comment reads: "Her lobster paw-paw is adorable. I see nothing but pure perfection." Another person wrote: "It's amazing to hear of people like you. That puppy is the luckiest in the world and it breaks my heart to hear what the breeders normally do, it's just heartbreaking and sickening." Another TikTok user responded: "Omggg how adorable! Your own personal furry dinosaur." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.