Estrella, a one-and-a-half-year-old dog who was born in Peru without her front legs was abandoned in the streets by her original owners.

But she did not let her disability hold her back. Adopted by a couple who owns an animal shelter in the small town of Tinga Maria, she has gained celebrity status by hopping around on her stumps like a kangaroo.

The animal shelter, run by husband and wife Ivan Escobar Elva Carhuaz, has been receiving a larger number of visitors since the arrival of their new handicapped member, including many families who wish to adopt her. The couple has been taking advantage of Estrella's fame to raise funds for the shelter and be able to take in a larger number of abandoned animals.

Carhuaz said they found Estrella when she was six months old and watched her develop new walking skills much like a human baby.

"She is like a baby who starts learning how to walk. That is how we see her, from that day until today, that is what she learned. Since she was six-and-a-half months, she was already big," she said.

Estrella's disability does not stop her and she often plays with the shelter's dogs like a regular pup. The shelter's owners hope that Estrella will serve as an example to families who abandon their animals because of birth defects.

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