Dog with 3D-printed prosthetics can now run free

He was born with deformed front legs, but Derby can keep up with the other dogs now that he has prosthetics made with 3D printing technology.

Once she heard Derby's story, Tara Anderson knew there had to be a way she could help. She first purchased a cart for Derby, but that limited his mobility and made it difficult for him to keep up with other dogs. Anderson works at a company called 3D Systems, and she enlisted a team to get Derby up and running via prosthetics made by a 3D printer.

In no time, Derby's prosthetics were ready for use. "Having these images on file on the computer and being able to print them is a lot quicker than having to hand sculpt every single mold and rebuild those braces five or 10 times," says Derrick Campana of Animal Ortho Care. The team and Derby's new owners, Dom and Sherry Portanova, were all amazed by how fast he took to his prosthetics, and he now runs two to three miles a day. "He's just so happy," says Dom Portanova. Watch Derby in action in the video below. --Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up