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Faith the Dog
by: Rover 411
Oprah calls her “the Miracle Dog.”
Montel, “the most unique dog I have ever seen!”
“A demonstration of perseverance.” says human-sister Laura, and a “Gift from God.”
 So, who is she and why is she so special??? She is Faith the Dog, the world’s only bi-pedal (two-legged) dog that walks upright.
Faith’s story begins January 2003 when she was only a few weeks old. Born from a litter with several deformed puppies, Faith was being suffocated by her own mother (this is often a common response when a newborn puppy is sick or deformed). She was pulled out to safety by Reuben Stringfellow, a seventeen-year-old boy, and he brought the weak dog to his family. Jude Stringfellow, Rueben’s mom, soon realized that Faith was like no other dog. Faith, a lab/chow mix, had a rare genetic disorder causing her two front legs to be severely disfigured and unusable. This, however, is NOT what makes Faith so special.
Facing certain death from challenges caused by the friction of dragging herself across the floor to get around, Faith learned to stand, hop and eventually walk on her two back legs, just like a human. The Stringfellow family was there every second through Faith’s 12 weeks of training, trading off every two hours, offering motivation of peanut butter, affection, love and support. It was a playful bite on the leg from Ean, another family puppy that got Faith running around the yard after him, as she has not turned back since.
Today, Faith is giving back to her family, as well as countless others by showing them they too can get through their tough times. Faith, along with  mom Jude Stringfellow and occasionally human siblings Reuben, Laura or Caity, has appeared on several TV shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Show, A Current Affair, Inside Edition, The Early Show, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and Animal Planet, as well as many radio shows all over the country including Animal Radio and appeared in People Magazine and In Touch Weekly Magazine. During the first half of 2008, Faith was followed by various film crews and will appear in upcoming movies all over the worldl
Jude Stringfellow, a professor of English and high school teacher, has written a book about the family struggles and how Faith helped them, entitled "With a Little Faith" (2nd Ed.), and another book, strictly about Faith, “Faith Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog" available online and in bookstores.
Faith loves chasing the geese at the park; running, jumping, skipping, and acting like any other dog and enjoys stealing rolled socks and hiding them under the bed. She is also a therapy dog, helping kids gain confidence to learn to read. As Jude Stringfellow maintains, “Faith may only have two legs, but she has a big heart.”
Rover 411 is pleased that Faith and Jude Stringfellow have joined our Dog House, and will be providing exclusive stories and interviews. Check back often for updates.
Learn more about Faith at her website www.FaithTheDog.net
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