Carmen joined the League’s Sponsor Program in 2007. Named after a French opera by Georges Bizet, about a beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper, Carmen, the little Chihuahua puppy is a delicate vision of adorableness. An unfortunate victim of backyard breeders, Carmen was born with no front legs. This sweet little spitfire came in a litter of three, two females and one male. Carmen is the middle child - smaller than Pablo but larger than Venus - and they all share the same physical deformity. Though it saddens us to see Carmen and her family with this disadvantage, we are pleased that she is otherwise healthy and seems very happy.

Carmen will need extensive care, therapy and training. She will need to learn to use her back legs to walk upright and rely on them for mobility. She is already instinctively testing her balance and challenging herself and has a good head start on managing as a two-legged dog. In addition to training Carmen to use her hind legs, we would also like to fashion her with a walking apparatus for optimum mobility to give her little back legs a rest now and then. Carmen, like her siblings, is not only unique and special, but in the eyes of North Shore Animal League America, she is a lovely, artistic treasure.

CLICK HERE to read about Pablo
CLICK HERE to read about Venus

Sponsor Venus, Carmen & Pablo: Special Offer

Carmen's Updates

4th Quarter 2008
The little trio of Carmen, Venus and Pablo are still maintaining their celebrity status. Carmen and her siblings were recently featured in the October issue of National Geographic Kids magazine. All three of these adorable and persevering Chihuahuas were shown in a feature titled "Amazing Animals". And we agree - they sure are amazing! In addition to all the glitz and glamour Carmen, Venus and Pablo have been experiencing they have extremely fulfilling lives at home and enjoy spending time with their family.

3rd Quarter 2008
Carmen continues to be an absolute delight in her foster home. Unlike her sister, Carmen’s character is a little less sassy than little Venus, but she is definitely more curious and brave. Carmen, along with Venus, likes to walk the most of all four of the two-legged pups. She truly enjoys exploring the backyard and can get herself into a mess from time to time in the dirt and grass. Carmen’s foster parents commit to cleaning her and all the pups with a bath often, but Carmen squirms the entire time. Let’s just say it’s not her favorite part of the day.

2nd Quarter 2008
Carmen has been improving by leaps and bounds with the use of her new wheels. The length of time she can spend walking in her customized wheel-cart has been steadily increasing. Her adoptive mother reports that Carmen can now spend most of her day in the cart. She is able to walk around just like any other pooch, which allows her to live the high quality of life any animal deserves. And now that she’s able to prance around in her cart so well, her adoptive mother lets her run free with her two siblings in the circular driveway in the front of their home. Carmen almost looks like she’s running laps around a race track as she zooms by!

1st Quarter 2008
Carmen continues to show enthusiasm when walking in her new, custom-made wheel cart. Thanks to this cart and a week of unseasonably warm weather, Carmen was able to experience the feeling of grass under her tiny feet for the first time! While enjoying a picnic with her own brother and sister, Carmen was amazed by all the outdoors had to offer. She even pranced around happily with a pine needle in her mouth! Being the most outgoing and curious of the three, Carmen undoubtedly loves her new ability to explore without stress on her lower back and has been practicing the most in her new cart. Thank you to all of her Sponsors for making this possible!

4th Quarter 2007
The life of a famous dog has been treating Carmen well. She’s becoming a little Diva, and likes to order her siblings around. She lives in a house with many different animals and thinks that she is in charge, too. Sweet Carmen is a wonderful little dog with plenty of personality. She is a pleasure for all who lay eyes on her.

3rd Quarter 2007
Sweet, little Carmen has been making wonderful progress with her physical training. Her legs are getting much stronger from her various therapies and she seems to enjoy the exertion. Carmen may be bigger than her sister, Venus, but she seems to be more submissive. Every now and then, a scolding from her sister will stop her in her tracks.  It’s an adorable sight, and they are just the cutest. This little family is as close as can be, and at the end of the day, you can catch them all huddled together, snug as three bugs in a rug!

2nd Quarter 2007
Carmen has been getting endless notoriety lately. We may have to get her a pair of sunglasses to disguise her from the paparazzi, for she recently became an international star. Carmen and her siblings have been featured all over the news – including a station in Japan. Luckily, this unexpected thrust into fame has not changed her sweet and humble disposition. She’ll always be our little girl.

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