Two dogs, six legs, all heart
Photo courtesy of Kathy Dunsey
Ollie, on top, and Stan will soon be three-legged brothers, once Kathy Dunsey and her family, of Canonsburg, officially adopt Stan.
Photo courtesy of Kathy Dunsey
Stan, at left, and Ollie will soon be three-legged brothers, once Kathy Dunsey and her family officially adopt Stan.
Photo courtesy of Kathy Dunsey
Ollie and Stan enjoy one another’s company.
Photo courtesy of Kathy Dunsey
Three-legged canines Ollie, top, and Stan recently stand guard together.
Lennon the beagle, who had wandered the woods of Hanover Township for months with a broken leg, has a new name, new home and new brother.
The now three-legged lemon beagle goes by Stan these days, as his new doggie brother’s name is Ollie. They’re named for the comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame, who’s first movie together, in 1921, was “The Lucky Dog.” Now, 100 years later, there’s a new Stan and Ollie duo, and they’re both three-legged adoptees.
“This is not my first three-legged rodeo,” said Kathy Dunsey, of Canonsburg, Stan and Ollie’s owner.
Her family hadn’t had a dog in over 20 years, she said after being heartbroken at the loss of their dog, Jake. Finally last year, she, her husband, Derek, and her son, Dennie, went to the Washington Area Humane Society to find a new family member.
“Ollie was a lot of work,” Kathy said. “We had no intent of adopting a dog with special needs. We took one look at him and there was no turning back. He was just so sad.”
They adopted Ollie Jan. 24, 2020, just a few days after his leg was amputated. He had been struck by a car and found alongside Interstate 70 near the Taylorstown exit.
Exactly one year later, on Jan. 24, 2021, Lennon was brought to the Humane Society, after Hanover Township neighbors spent months trying to catch him.
“I read about what happened to him, and then we got a call asking if we could take him,” Kathy said. “So on Jan. 24, 2022, I’m not answering my phone.”
The dogs were in similar situations at the time of their adoptions, Kathy said. Both had had the same leg amputated, neither one was house trained, both tested positive for Lyme disease and both had “major, major anxiety.”
“They not only have physical needs, they have emotional needs,” she said. “They’re afraid of people and of certain noises.”
Kelly Proudfit, executive director of the Humane Society, said that she’s never seen a foster family take in two dogs with medical needs like this, but due to their similar situations, it seems like Ollie and Stan were meant to be together.
“He’s a very hard dog to place, but he’s perfect with their dog,” Proudfit said of Lennon. “We knew Lennon needed to be with another dog, and what better dog than another three-legged dog. It’s just kind of meant to be.”
Proudfit said it’s difficult to find forever homes for dogs with medical needs because they aren’t easy to care for.
“These medical fosters and their situations are difficult because you’re not sleeping, you’re checking on them every hour – it’s like having kids,” she said. “With Lennon, it was just supposed to happen this way.”
Ollie is less agile than Stan, and often needs to be lifted or carried, Kathy said. Contrarily, Stan, who’s almost potty trained, has quickly adjusted to being on three legs.
“Stan is a love bug, he loves all dogs and loves us to death,” Kathy said. “I think he was out there for so long that he just forgot how to be a dog. He was wild, and needed to learn how to be a dog.”
Ollie has been helping Stan with that. They go on walks and play together.
“Ollie took to him right away,” Kathy said. “Ollie looks out for him.”
That’s why on Monday, Ollie signed with his three paws a letter to Proudfit and the Humane Society asking for adoption papers to make Stan his official brother after four weeks of fostering him.
“He is a very spunky little beagle that has been sleeping in and chewing my beds, chasing and biting me, stealing my toys, going potty in the house and stinking up the house because of his fish diet,” Ollie “wrote” in his letter. “I know that he needs a special home and someone to look out for him. I am asking you to officially make my beagle buddy my beagle brother.”
Proudfit, who said she has previously received a painting from a dog, was surprised to receive a hand-written letter from one.
“I thought it was adorable,” she said.
Kathy said the Humane Society helped out greatly with Stan’s medical and emotional needs.
“It really has taken a village to get Lennon off the streets, to get his leg amputated and to get him to where he is now,” Kathy said.
Stan still has some challenges to overcome, like becoming more socialized, but it’s a work in progress.
“We are realistic – they both may never be nonreactive or they both may never get over their anxiety,” Kathy said. “It’s a package deal, and you have to learn to adjust your life sometimes.”
The Stan and Ollie duo are certainly entertainers, Kathy said.
“I could not imagine not getting up to these two every morning now,” she said. “It’s joy to see them overcome obstacles. We haven’t had a dog in over 20 years, so if we can take dogs that have physical and emotional needs, I would think that other people with more experience should be able to take in special needs dogs. They’re more work than a regular shelter dog, but they bring us joy every day.”