Lindsey Vonn adopts shelter dog with a bum knee

Day after she announces withdrawal from Winter Olympics because of a bum knee, America's downhill skiing sweetheart takes in an unwanted dog 
 


 Lindsey Vonn with her new dog, Leo; photo is a Twitpic from Randy Gyllenhaal of WPBF
 
 One day after announcing she was withdrawing from the Sochi Winter Olympics because of a bum knee, Lindsey Vonn adopted a shelter dog with a bum knee, which was not the dog preferred by her boyfriend, who used to have a bum knee.
Vonn, America’s downhill skiing sweetheart who will soon undergo surgery to repair her injured right knee, finalized the adoption of Leo, a brindle boxer mix she and her boyfriend, Tiger Woods, initially saw on the day before Christmas.

Lindsey Vonn with her adopted shelter dog; photo is from her Facebook page

WPBF News reported that workers at the Furry Friends Adoption and Clinic in Jupiter, Florida, said Woods initially wanted a different pit-bull mix, but Vonn returned Wednesday and said, “I won!” and was soon escorting Leo into her car.

Dr. Todd Vinoski told WPBF that Leo broke his leg, was given up by his owner, and has already had one surgery.

“She is going to take him to another orthopedic surgeon and see what can be done further for him,” Vinosky told WPBF.

Vonn, a day after writing “I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to compete in Sochi,” used social media to excitedly announce the adoption, which certainly lifted her spirits.

“I adopted Leo today from an animal shelter and he has cheered me up so much!” she said on Instagram. “He was hit by a car and has a bad knee. Maybe we can do rehab together! #meantforeachother #bumkneebuddies”

On Facebook, she wrote: “This definitely brightened my day—I adopted this 9-month-old cutie from an animal shelter. He has a bad knee from being hit by a car when he was a puppy and no one wanted him…but I do!! I encourage anyone looking for an animal to adopt from a shelter and save a life! #bumkneebuddies”

Asked by WPBF why she chose that particular dog, Vonn answered, “He has a bad knee, just like me.”

This isn’t the first dog for Vonn and Woods. Workers from Furry Friends said they already had two other dogs that they expected Leo to get along with well.

So maybe Vonn really was looking for a four-legged rehab partner.