West Orange High School students get hands-on engineering experience designing, fitting prosthetic leg for dog

WEST ORANGE, N.J. (WABC) — Students at West Orange High School in New Jersey got hands-on engineering experience this semester while also helping an injured dog.

The dog, named Cody, was rescued from Puerto Rico.

“They found him out on the street. They had his leg removed because it couldn't be saved,” the dog's owner, Karen Clark said.

Clark says Cody gets around just fine on his three legs, but as he ages, arthritis can become an issue.

“The majority of the weight is on the front legs. So if we can give his front-end a little bit of a rest maybe that'll delay the arthritis a little bit,” Clark said.

That's where the West Orange High Engineering students come in.

The company 3D Pets is giving them hands on experience, building cody's prosthetic.

Their teacher has had this class since their freshman year.

“They're doing really good. Sometimes they're like we're not good enough. And I'm like you can do this,” teacher Catherine Gardner said.

3D Pets founders were STEM students back in high school. They now make prosthetics for pets all over the world and wanted to touch the next generation.

“I do plan on going into either industrial or mechanical engineering and I might be working with projects like this, such as, 3D designing things, 3D designing prosthetics,” student Jeremiah Latimer said.

Gardner says more than half of the class have been accepted into college engineering programs.

“Most of them are planning to go on into engineering,” Gardner said as she wiped away tears. “I'm just so proud of them.”

Cody will be fitted with his prosthetic in about five weeks.

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