Miffy the 3 legged dog

Why a 3 legged dog is the perfect home worker’s pet

Today’s guest post is a joy!

Social media trainer Jane Binnion

describes how her daughter chose Miffy

the 3 legged dog

from a rescue centre.

When I decided to become a self-employed trainer just over 3 years ago I decided to work from home and the first things I got were a big desk, a lap top for delivering training and a 3 legged dog!



The 3 legs was a coincidence not a plan, but it’s all worked out beautifully!



I’m a single mum and we had had a rescue dog before to help my girl feel safe at night, but the poor dog never could trust anyone and after 5 years we had to let her go. Even though she went to a friend’s farm it was very traumatic, so I felt very nervous about having another. But working from home seemed like the perfect time to give a dog a home.

Fostering a rescue dog in need of some love fits our family values, and my daughter spotted a 3 legged Staffie / Great Dane / lurcher on the website of Wolfwood, a wonderful rescue centre in Lancaster. She had been found on the streets with a badly broken leg that had been broken for some time and the vet amputated it.

We visited 2 days after her surgery, she leaned into my daughter and they both fell over. For my girl and the dog, that was it, for me it took another 2 weeks of getting to know her. That was 3 years ago this month and now she’s totally a part of our family.

Three Binnion girls who all fall over (me and my daughter are both dyspraxic). She is a big strong gentle thing with a stubborn and sometimes naughty streak, all of which make me love her more.



As a home worker what’s really great for me is that I have to walk her twice a day. So every morning after dropping my girl at the bus, before I go to my desk, I get to walk in the fields or along the canal. It is a wonderful grounding experience and every day I see something that makes me stop and feel joy. 



Being a sole trader and home worker can of course be very isolating, but I’m never lonely with Miffy around. After her walk she just lies near me somewhere while I work and recently she’s taken to coming to get me if I’ve sat at the computer for too long.

A 3 legged dog also has me talking to complete strangers every day. Everyone admires her, she’s very handsome, and they marvel at her ability. A few years ago a dog with a leg that needed amputating would have just been put down, so it’s good for people to see how happy she is. Most people love her and I get to hear the most fabulous stories from folk we meet.



Every day she makes us laugh – she once spent 5 minutes barking at a rock pool – and every night as we say what we’re grateful for, Miffy’s name comes up.



And then the best bit, at the end of the day she lies with me on the sofa and I choose to interpret that look she gives me as total adoration. And all is forgiven for another day.

Jane is a Lancashire-based, award winning social media and ethical sales trainer, passionate about encouraging people with disabilities to consider self-employment as a viable work option.