Toddler without hands gets a puppy without a paw: 'It's a beautiful thing'

Ivy McLeod is two years old and full of life and is eagerly waiting to bring home Lucky, the family's new pup. Ivy was born without hands and hasn't really started noticing that some people have hands while she doesn't. Ivy is a congenital bilateral transhumeral amputee. Ivy McLeod is a curious child and loves coloring. She holds the markers between her toes to draw. Her mother, Vanessa McLeod, knows it's a matter of time before Ivy notices the difference and asks her why. McLeod decided the best way to let her understand and celebrate that difference was to get her a puppy with a similar limb difference. She wanted someone Ivy could relate to, someone who she loved. That's how McLeod found Lucky and she was lucky to find the pup in their Vancouver, British Columbia neighborhood within a few short weeks since the search began.

McLeod felt the puppy would help Ivy understand that you could be both different and beautiful simultaneously and aren’t mutually exclusive. When the time comes, McLeod said she wants to tell Ivy: “You know you were born that way but different is beautiful and this puppy was also born that way and that is also a beautiful thing,” said McLeod in an interview with CTV News. McLeod loves the bond Ivy and Lucky share, and she's hoping more people embrace their differences after meeting them. “I love everything that is different about her,” said McLeod, “so I encourage people not to view disabilities as sad or something to be pitied but something to be celebrated.”

McLeod was prepared to searching far and wide to find the perfect puppy for her daughter but she didn't have to search beyond two weeks and not too far either. "On April 6th, I posted here on Instagram and on Facebook that we were searching for a very special puppy with a lucky fin. I was ready to scour North America and wait months for the right puppy to welcome into our family. I had so many lovely people send me links to dogs that were available, I had rescues reach out who were ready to assist us in our search! But on April 6th, the day I initially posted... that very same day, a tiny little puppy was born IN OUR CITY with a little lucky fin. If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is. It’s so very clear to us that she is meant to be part of our family," wrote McLeod on Instagram. "She’s only two weeks old, so it will be a while until we get her, but we are so excited and can’t wait to welcome her home. She is named after the Lucky Fin Project because she has a little lucky fin, just like our Ivy, she added.

A week ago, the family went to meet Lucky again and can't wait to bring her home. "We got to see Lucky again this weekend and we all fell even more in love with her! She loves to sleep on her back and she loves to snuggle with her sister. Both girls gave her lots of pets and we can’t wait until she’s here forever," wrote McLeod on Instagram. Among the pictures shared is an adorable picture of Ivy smiling at Lucky.