Tiny dog with broken leg helps heal broken hearts

Every pet is special, but Wally the Girl seems to leave magic wherever she goes.

At 3 years old and just 5 pounds, Wally the Girl is a cream-colored dog with tan spots and a curly tail that wiggles happily whenever a person approaches. The pint-sized pup was one of many adoptable pets Best Friends took in from Los Angeles city and county shelters when wildfires broke out. The Lancaster shelter, where Wally came from, had been running on overdrive, even taking in animals from another county shelter temporarily closed by the fires.

[Adoptable pets from L.A. wildfires arrive in Utah]

To help free up space and alleviate stress on the shelters, Best Friends made many trips to pick up adoptable pets who were already in the shelters before the fires and bring them to the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in West L.A. for triage. Many would go into foster or adoptive homes right away. Others would soon be on the move again, heading to other animal rescue organizations or to Salt Lake City or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Not only did Wally need a home, but she also needed urgent medical care: Her right hind leg was broken in multiple places. Despite the pain she must have been in, she was sweet and easygoing during her exam, which made everyone she interacted with fall in love with her.

Ultimately, the vet team made the tough call to remove her leg. “That was the only option for her, and it was the best thing that could have happened to her,” says Elizabeth Oreck, Best Friends senior manager of community engagement in L.A.

Wally sailed through her amputation surgery and recovery. Within just a few days, she was back to being her spunky self, hopping around in a pink flower cone that was bigger than her whole body. Life on three legs didn’t slow her down one bit.

“Even without one leg, she runs like a gazelle so fast and can run up and down stairs,” says Elizabeth, who also fostered Wally. “She has no limitations whatsoever.”

As she continued to recover, Wally’s beautiful spirit and zest for life shined even brighter. Staff members were more smitten than ever. (She was rarely put down because someone always wanted a turn holding her.) Some were even tempted to take her home themselves — but Wally had a different happy ending waiting just around the corner.

It’s been a difficult season of life for Melissa Duran of Bakersfield, California. In addition to being diagnosed with a debilitating illness, both her 15-year-old son and a very close family friend passed away within the past year and a half. Yet through it all, she has found joy in her daughter, her faith, and a newfound hobby: attending tapings of a popular game show.

After attending a recent filming, Melissa was forced to stay in L.A. an extra night because of road closures due to the Hughes fire. This gave her the opportunity to return to the game show again the next day, which turned out to be kismet.

[Amid fires, CA pets start new lives in Salt Lake City]

“Because of my disability, they put me on a golf cart and took me backstage, and I waited in a seating area (before the show),” says Melissa. It just so happened that staff from Best Friends had brought adoptable pets to the show taping that day — and that’s where Melissa first saw Wally.

“My eyes made contact with her, and I said, ‘Can I pet her, please?’” says Melissa. “From that moment on, I fell in love with her. I didn't even know she was an amputee or anything yet.”

On the drive back to Bakersfield, Melissa couldn’t stop thinking about Wally. That night, her mind was made up. At 5 o’clock the next morning, she was back in the car — this time with her 11-year-old daughter, Maryrose — so they could be at the pet adoption center the second it opened.

When they stepped inside, Wally was right there being snuggled by a staff member (per usual). It was time for Melissa and Maryrose to take their girl home.

“There were so many people in there that cried tears of joy because they knew she was going to be loved,” says Melissa. “You could just tell we loved her already.”

Several hours later, Wally was beginning her new life at home. In addition to Melissa and Maryrose, Wally now lives with Melissa’s dad (Pops) and two canine friends: a fellow little dog named Charlie Brown and a not-so-little cane corso named Bear.

“She fit in so well with us. It's like she's been here her whole life,” says Melissa. And Wally wasted no time proving she could keep up with the pack.

“We have a wall in our backyard, and there’s little bricks. She somehow managed to jump on top of it with our other dog,” says Maryrose. The family has big plans for their tiny pup: fishing trips, beach outings, and plenty of walks with her new best friends.

“She's just the greatest thing ever. I just get so happy,” says Melissa. “I don't know what all she's been through, but man, she's just beautiful.”

Despite illness and unimaginable loss, Melissa says Wally has brought healing in ways she never expected. “She's mended my heart. I feel like she is all my prayers answered.”

Every pet adoption has a ripple effect. Not only has she helped a family feel complete and made a lasting impression on everyone at Best Friends, but Wally’s adoption allowed the Lancaster shelter to take in another pet amid the wildfire crisis.

The way people have been helping each other — and the animals — is one bright spot during a terrible disaster. Elizabeth says, “Wally is such a good example of the resiliency, not only of animals but of Los Angeles, during this extremely challenging time.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.