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Special Pooch Is Missing His Lower Jaw; Group Wants To Help

(CBS) -- An Illinois animal rescue group is looking for a veterinarian who can help give a German shepherd a prosthetic jaw.

WBBM's Steve Miller reports.

The story of Journey the German shepherd has a sad beginning.

Journey The Dog Missing Jaw
Journey the dog is missing his lower jaw after being mauled as a puppy. (courtesy: Treasured Animal Rescue)

Now, Lora Bendik of Treasured Animal Rescue is hoping to make the rest of his life better.

"At first I just thought, wow, what a sad-looking boy.  Then I asked about him and, as it turns out, he has no lower jaw," Bendik says. "His lower jaw was torn off by another dog when he was a six-month-old puppy."

Journey came from a kill-shelter in Arkansas.  Bendik says the dog has a small hole on the right side of his mouth where he can "funnel" food in.

"I kind of make almost like a gruel for him," she explains. "I elevate his food. I tie it to a chair, and that seems to be the winning formula for him."

Bendik says Journey is still emaciated, but he's been gaining weight.

She's trying to find a qualified veterinarian who will help give Journey a prosthetic jaw so that he can eat normally – and maybe even chew on a bone.

Journey Rescue Dog Without Lower Jaw
Another picture of Journey, a German shepherd with special needs. (courtesy: Treasured Animal Rescue)
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