Lauren Edwards, 38, shares her inspiring story with Take 5…
My phone pinged with a message from my friend, Megan.
This little puppy needs a home, she said, before sending over some pics.
Like me, Megan ran an animal sanctuary.
I’d started mine in 2017 after I’d bought a plot of land and thought I’d use it to give unwanted farm animals a home.
I funded it with the profits I made running four pet supply stores.
My first animal was a lamb, Charlotte, who had a bad back leg. I named the farm, Charlotte’s Freedom Farm, after her.
Now, it was 2021 and the farm had grown to accommodate up to 200 animals.
Looking at the pictures Megan sent me of the adorable disabled pup on my phone, I decided that I had room for one more.
Winnie is an Instagram star.(Image: supplied)
His beautiful brown eyes and his sticky out tongue, made my heart melt.
I called the breeders who told me Winston had been born with deformed front legs and a large part of his sternum missing.
I agreed to take him on and they dropped him over.
“Hi gorgeous boy,” I cooed, falling instantly in love.
Winston, or Winnie, as I started calling him, was a mixed breed and had beautiful big eyes and large floppy ears.
I took him to PawsAbility, a specialised orthotics and prosthetics service.
“We’ll get you moving in no time,” the owner, Janice, told us.
She took a mould of his chest and a few weeks later, Winnie had a cool set of wheels custom made just for him.
We fitted them on in the car park.
“Good boy!” I cried as he zoomed around happily.
His brown eyes melt my heart. (Image: supplied)
I created his own Instagram page, @winnie_theroo because he looks like a kangaroo when he stands up on his hind legs.
Word soon spread, and I now have seven disabled dogs in my care.
Winnie and I wrote a kids’ book about them all called Winnie’s Warriors. We take it to the library to read to the local kids. We also visit
retirement villages and host school tours at the farm.
“Poor doggie,” strangers say sometimes when they see Winnie.
But within minutes they realise that they don’t need to feel sorry for him. Winnie and his friends are living their best lives on the farm.
Winnie stands on his back legs like a kangaroo. (Image: supplied)
If anything, Winnie’s 96,500 – and counting – followers on Instagram find him inspiring.
He cheers me up when I’m feeling sad, one person commented recently.
He teaches me not to sweat the small stuff in life, wrote another.
Winnie is proof that animals with disabilities can lead fulfilling and happy lives.
He’s my best friend and I’m proud of everything that he does.
Who says dogs and lambs can’t be friends? (Image: supplied)
