Some high school seniors in Wisconsin are teaming up to change the life of a three-month-old puppy named Forest Stump.
When Forrest was found living in an abandoned area in Texas, he was missing one of his back paws. So now, the biomedical and engineering classes at Case High School in Wisconsin are putting their heads together to create a prosthetic paw for sweet Forrest.
Forrest is a three-month-old Sheppard mix who was found while living with his mother and siblings under an abandoned camper in southern Texas. He’s a happy, playful pup. But when he was found, he was missing one of his back paws, and the area was infected.
So The Texas Rescue Riders brought him to Wisconsin in hopes of finding him a new, loving home. Their amazing rescuers in Texas save animals off the streets and nurse these sweet souls back to health. Then, they bring them to the Midwest, where they help them find forever homes.
Forest is currently living with a foster family while he works with the students at Case High School. One of their teachers explained how the senior’s capstone projects always involve creating a solution to a real-world problem.
“It’s empowering for the kids to try way harder than if it was just something that I came up with in the classroom and said, ‘here make this, I’m the only one that’s going to see it.’ Now, it’s really putting the pressure on them in understanding that this is really going to be used and what I’m doing really counts, really matters,” explained Sara Gauthier, their teacher.
Their teachers hoped that picking a cause that they could get personally invested in would motivate the students even more. So far, the students have recorded Forrest’s measurements and used a 3D laser to scan his paws. Next, they will work in groups to formulate some solutions.
Since this is something that can have a great impact on a real animal in need, some of the students were feeling a little nervous after grasping the gravity of the situation.
“This is like a living creature and this could really impact his life. So, it’s really nerve-wracking, but it’s exciting that if it goes successful, then we can help the puppy,” said senior Caitlin McGuire.
The class says that they expect to have Forrest’s prosthetic foot completed within a few weeks. With winter rapidly approaching, they hope to have Forrest’s new paw ready before the first flakes fall.
Forrest is not currently up for adoption, and he has a forever home lined up after his prosthetic is made.
Featured Image: Facebook
Toledo, United States.
