Typical of many families, Canadian mom Vanessa McLeod wants to get her daughter Ivy, who is now two, a puppy. Unlike many parents, she wants the gift to do more than just cheer up Ivy. She wants to change how others think about persons with physical limitations, especially Ivy. The doctors urged McLeod to get an abortion at 19 weeks pregnant because they said the growing fetus lacks hands and that she “might need to consider” the child’s life quality. McLeod, however, chose to keep the pregnancy to term.
Now that she’s been around for two years, Ivy is a “happy, energetic little toddler” with an eye for creativity. When she paints, she holds the markers with her toes instead of her fingers. According to McLeod, I “enjoy all that is unusual about her so I encourage people to regard disability as something to be embraced rather than unhappy or something to be hated.”
Ivy hasn’t yet noticed how physically unique she is compared to other kids her age, but McLeod knew that day would come and wanted to help her through the difficult emotional shift. She decided to adopt Ivy a puppy with a birth defect as a result. A puppy with no front paw was born in the McLeods’ hometown of Chilliwack, British Columbia, not long after they started looking. McLeod stated that it seemed like fate. They decided on Lucky.
I simply think that would be a magical link because, as McLeod stated, “you know you were born that way, but different is beautiful, and this dog was also born that way, and that is also a great thing.” Following this, McLeod contacted the medical professionals who had advised her to abort the baby to let them know that she had discovered “acceptance within the limb difference community, within the disability community.”
Instead of being impolite or critical, one asked her to share her story with a group of medical students to teach them the value of giving diagnoses in a positive light. She appears excited about the possibility. McLeod told CTV News she’s proud to challenge doctors’ thinking and encourage the next generation that diversity is beautiful.