Faith, a bipedal female dog, was born in December 2002 in the United States with three legs; two fully developed hind legs and a deformed front leg, which was amputated when she was seven months old after it began to atrophy. Her owner, Jude Stringfellow, adopted Faith when the mother dog was found trying to smother the deformed puppy—her son rescued the puppy and brought her home. Many people, including veterinarians, advised that Faith be euthanized

Animal euthanasia

Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...

. Instead, using a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive, Jude taught Faith to hop but Faith decided on her own to walk; the family's corgi would bark at Faith from another room, or nip her heels to urge her to walk.

Faith is not the only two-legged dog, there is a chihuahua

Chihuahua (dog)

The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...

 in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, with a similar condition who also walks upright, but Faith is probably the most famous.

Media coverage

A book has been published detailing Faith's story entitled "With a Little Faith". Faith and her owner, Jude Stringfellow, have also been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show

The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....

, The Montel Williams Show

The Montel Williams Show

The Montel Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Montel Williams. On January 30, 2008 it was announced that The Montel Williams Show would stop production on new episodes at the end of the 2007-2008 television season after seventeen years...

, Animal Attractions Television

Animal Attractions Television

Animal Attractions Television is a television program about the deep affection people have for their pets. The show is hosted by Alex Boylan, Megan Blake and Chrishaunda Lee. This series airs on PBS stations in the US, and is funded in part by Hill's Science Diet. There were three seasons of the...

 and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Faith also had a brief mention on the PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 show NOVA

NOVA (TV series)

Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...

 in the episode The Family That Walks On All Fours

The Family That Walks On All Fours

The Family That Walks On All Fours is a BBC2 documentary that explored the science and the story of five individuals in the Ulas family in Turkey that walk with a previously unreported quadruped gait . The documentary was created by Passionate Productions and was broadcast on Friday 17 March 2006....

. As a result of the media attention, Faith now has her own website, as well as her own page on MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

.

A short article on Faith that appeared in the "racy" London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 lad mag Bizarre

Bizarre (magazine)

Bizarre is a British alternative magazine published from 1997 to the present. It is currently published by Dennis Publishing; it is a sister publication to the Fortean Times.-Content:...

 in 2004 was allegedly the cause of owner Stringfellow's dismissal from her culinary college teaching job. The dog was also rumoured to have been considered for an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman...

.

In February 2007, MSNBC

MSNBC

MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...

 reported that American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

 had accidentally sent Faith to a different destination than her owner, after changing planes in Dallas during a flight back from Oklahoma City

Oklahoma city

Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

to Orlando.