Amputee saves dog after animal's front legs were cut off with sword
Cola was just a puppy when a neighbor viciously hacked his front legs off with a sword.
The animal's crime: chewing on a pair of shoes.
Despite suffering a grievous injury, the dog survived. And now, two years later, Cola is learning to walk -- and love -- again.
With assistance from Thailand's Soi Dog Foundation, the pup was able to see a specialist in Bangkok.
It was there the dog underwent surgery and extensive therapy that ultimately allowed Cola to get back on his feet with a pair of custom-made prosthetics.
When Gill Dalley, co-founder of the Soi Dog Foundation, visited the 2-year-old pup she felt an instant connection.
She, too, had to adjust to a life without limbs.
"She had to have both her legs amputated in 2004 after contracting a rare bacterial infection while rescuing a dog from a flooded buffalo field," Maeve Henry, communications manager for the foundation, told CBS News. "As a result, Gill too uses prosthetic legs and as synchronicity would have it, formed an immediate bond with Cola and has now adopted him."
A video of Cola taking his first steps went viral on Facebook with more than 7.7 million views.
"Cola shows the world he can rock prosthetics!" the post exclaims.
Thousands of people posted words of encouragement for Cola and his new owner.
"Wow! This is amazing to see after the horrific treatment this poor dog had," one user commented.
"The love that he shows humans, having been through such terrible trauma at the hands of one shows what a truly remarkable dog he is," another replied.
The man responsible for the act of cruelty against Cola was charged under the Animal Welfare Act, the foundation said; he was sentenced to just one month in jail.
"While this is incredibly lenient, it is important to remember that had this barbaric attack taken place two years ago, the perpetrator would have not faced any charges," the foundation wrote on Facebook. Thailand introduced its first ever Animal Welfare Law in late 2014.
"It is still very much a work in progress," Henry said.
Cola's walking is also a work in progress, but the Soi Dog Foundation is confident he'll make a strong recovery.