Mass. Engineering Student Adopts Amputee Rescue Dog and Is Building the Pet a Prosthetic Leg

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A biomedical engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is working to create a special gift for his adopted dog.

Cleo, a two-year-old rescue, was found on the side of an Oklahoma road with severe injuries after being struck by a car one year ago, according to NECN. Ultimately, she had to have her front right leg amputated.

Enter WPI student Jordan Rosenfeld, who adopted Cleo earlier this year in his home state of New Jersey. "The minute Cleo and I saw each other, we fell in love," he told the outlet.

Now, Rosenfeld is working on building his beloved dog a prosthetic leg at his Worcester, Mass., college that would help the pup move around easier.

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"I knew I was coming to school to be a biomedical engineer, and the two kind of clicked," he told NECN, "and I kind of figured out, 'You know what, she's the one for me. I need to make her a leg.' "

One of Cleo's biggest obstacles, Rosenfeld said, "is walking" around. "Walking is really tough for her," he explained, noting, "she can't really do anything slow pace."

To build the prosthetic, Rosenfeld is using a 3-D printing laboratory on the WPI campus, which Cleo often visits with her owner.

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Currently, Rosenfeld is working on a third "mockup" of his proposed prosthetic. This time, he hopes the mechanism will be able to "withstand her weight," as previous designs have failed.

But Rosenfeld is determined to find a solution. If successful, NECN reports that Cleo's new leg will be ready for use in early 2022.