20th July 2009

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Five-legged pup saved from freak show

Allyson Siegel of Charlotte, North Carolina, shelled out $4000 to buy a five-legged puppy away from a life in a Coney Island freak show, the New York Daily News reports.

Lilly (above), a Chihuahua-terrier mix, was born with an extra leg protruding from her stomach area. Her extra foot has six toes.

John Strong, the owner of the “Freaks of Nature” museum on Surf Avenue, had promised the pup’s original owner $3000, and had already sent a $1000 down payment. In his custody, Lilly would have spent her days alongside Nosey Rosey the two-headed cow and Siamese twin turtles named Pete and Repeat. 

Lucky for the tiny pup, Siegel showed up with, as the paper notes, “more bones.”

“She is beautiful, she’s not a freak, she’s a normal little puppy dog and she should be just like all the others,” Siegel said.

New Yorkers were so touched by Siegel’s move, says a followup report, that they’ve sent gifts and good wishes, and NYC veterinarian Neil Shaw has volunteered to remove Lilly’s extra leg at no cost.

Tags Justicebaby animalsdogspuppiesLilly