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Claire, a five-month-old Havanese puppy rescued from an Amish puppy mill, with her new wheelchair created and built by students at Oriskany High School.

(Provided photo)

ORISKANY, NY - Dylan LaSalle and his classmates wanted to do anything they could to help 2.8-pound Claire the minute they heard about the tiny Havanese puppy's plight.

Unable to use her back legs due to a birth defect and suspected abuse, Claire looked pitiful. Her fur was matted and she was near death when she was rescued from an Amish puppy mill by Angels of Fur, a Rome-based rescue organization. She weighed barely 2 pounds.

When Oriskany High School teacher Chris Lallier heard about Claire, he asked his engineering students if they wanted to help create something in class that could help the disabled puppy walk. Their answer was a unanimous yes - even before they met the now five-month-old puppy.

"She's such a sweet little puppy - we all wanted to help,'' said Brynn James, a junior in Lallier's Principles of Engineering class.

The students spent a month designing an adjustable wheelchair-like device and then built it using a 3D printer. They presented it to Claire last week, and were thrilled to watch her successfully maneuver around using what they refer to as "Claire's Chariot."

By supporting her back legs, Claire can now get around using her front legs.

"She couldn't walk at all,'' said Dylan LaSalle, a tenth-grader in Lallier's class who worked with other students using CAD (computer-aided design) to create the device. "She's just so cute, and it feel goods to be able to help her."

The students wrestled with physics concepts like fulcrum - or figuring out exactly how Claire's weight would balance on the wheels. They also had to figure out how to make the 'chariot' adjustable so it could hold her weight and expand as she grew.

The puppy visited class several times, and patiently tried out several prototypes because students decided on the actual design, which is modeled after a larger version.

"She's an adorable dog," Lallier said, "and the kids fell in love with her. So it wasn't a tough sell at all for them to want to work on this project."

The lightweight wheelchair, made of ABS plastic, has made a world of difference to Claire, said Melissa Jones, founder and director of Angels of Fur K-9 Rescue of Rome.

Claire was rescued in October from an Amish puppy mill. She was malnourished, couldn't open her eyes, was seizing and had collapsed.

"Her condition was deplorable,'' Jones said.

Veterinarians said Claire was born with a floating kneecap on her left leg, but the majority of her disability arose from "traumatic injury" to both legs, said Melissa Jones, founder and director of Angels of Fur. She was either hung upside down or was in a rabbit cage so small she couldn't stand up, which caused her to legs to splay out like airplane wings, Jones said.

One of Claire's legs may still have to be amputated, but even so the wheelchair device will help her. She's also getting physical therapy, water and laser therapy and acupuncture.

A device like the one the students built would likely have cost $800 to $1,800, Jones said, and a fundraising account has helped pay for Claire's therapies, Jones said.

"it's so awesome to see her move around now without struggling,'' said Brynn Jones, one of the students.