The Loomers made an instant connection with Pip, despite—or maybe because of—the dog’s flipperlike leg and bald spot on the top of her head.

A VARIETY OF FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS find homes from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services. But what about a dog that has three legs and another appendage that can be best described as a flipper?

The lovable Pomeranian with the missing leg was brought into the shelter a couple of months ago and drew the attention of animal care technician Candy Weil, who named the dog "Pipsqueak," or "Pip" for short. Weil and her 15-year-old daughter, Jacque Dinicola, provided foster care for Pip in their Anza home, a necessity for an animal that was only about six weeks old at the time.

Just recently, Candy and Jacque, a shelter volunteer, brought Pip back to the shelter in hopes of finding a permanent home for the dog. Pip quickly enchanted a Huntington Beach couple, Zac and Sarah Loomer, who were in the shelter to see what dogs might be available for adoption.

Sarah Loomer, who grew up in Corona, had previously adopted a Queensland Heeler from the county animal shelter when it was located on Wilderness Avenue. A fondness for that dog, Blue, brought Loomer back to the shelter about seven years later, just in time to meet Pip, the three-legged Pomeranian.

The Loomers made an instant connection with Pip, despite—or maybe because of—the dog's flipper-like leg and bald spot on the top of her head. After a surgery to sterilize the dog, Pip was headed to Huntington Beach with the Loomers, who plan to call the little dog "Nikki."

For more information about Riverside County Animal Services, please visit http://rcdas.org/home.