Dog who had its front paws cut off by Mexican drug gang is back on its feet with prosthetic limbs



Pay de Limon's horrific injuries are believed to have been inflicted by members of a Mexican drug gang

Staff at a Mexican rescue centre raised nearly £4,000 to pay for a new pair of prosthetic legs for the mutilated dog

A dog who had its front paws cut off by callous members of a Mexican drug gang is able to play and run once more after being fitted with prosthetic legs.

The sweetly-named Pay de Limon - or Lemon Pie - was discovered whining and bleeding in a dumpster after its run-in with heartless criminals in Mexico City in 2011.

A year on the plucky pooch has recovered well thanks to the efforts of the Milagros Caninos - Canine Miracles - rescue centre in the Mexican capital, which raised almost £4,000 to pay for Pay de Limon's new legs.

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Back on its feet: Pay de Limon, whose two front paws were chopped off, bounds along outside a Mexican rescue shelter with the help of his new prosthetic legs

The founder of the rescue shelter claimed Pay de Limon's horrifying injuries were the work of criminals using the dog to 'practice' the torturous treatments dished out to kidnap victims by members of Mexico's notorious drug cartels.

'Pay de Limon had the misfortune of running into an organised crime group and they used him to practice cutting off each one of his paws, like they do when they cut fingers off human beings that have been kidnapped,' Patricia Ruiz told Reuters.

Kidnaps are a regular occurrence in Mexico, with victims snatched by drug gangs to try and extort money from their families, or sometimes to be forced into working for the cartels.

The mutilated dog was brought to Milagros Caninos after being found abandoned in a dumpster by passersby in the Fresnillo district of Mexico City.

Staff at the rescue shelter worked to nurse Pay de Limon back to health, and raised more than $6,000 in donations to pay for the prosthetic limbs that would allow him to walk again.



Because no facilities exist in Mexico for fitting dogs with prosthetic legs, moulds of Pay de Limon's legs were sent to a company in Colorado, U.S., that specialises in braces and prosethetics for dogs and other animals.



As Pay de Limon grew accustomed to wearing the prosthetics the dog gradually spent more time each day wearing them, and staff say it now regularly trots around with the help of its new legs.



On the prowl again: A Mexican animal rescue centre raised funds to pay for Pay de Limon's new prosthetic legs

Recovery: Pay de Limon's injuries, pictured left, are believed to be the work of members of a Mexican drug gang. The pooch is now back on its feet thanks to a new pair of prosthetic legs, right



Care: A vet adjusts one of the plucky dog's prosthetic legs at the Milagros Caninos - Canine Miracles - rescue shelter in Mexico City

Dog's life: Pay de Limon looks pleased with his new legs in this photograph taken outside the rescue shelter in Mexico City

Popular pooch: Pay de Limon plays with staff at the Milagros Caninos centre, where he was brought after being discovered whining and bleeding in a dumpster in Mexico City

Mexico has been plagued by violence since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the country's drug cartels in 2006.

At least 47,000 people are believed to have died since government troops were sent in to gang strongholds in the country six years ago.