Spangle sisters give animals second chance for happy life

SPANGLE, Wash. - All around Angela Boncz's farm in Spangle are signs of hope. To her, hope looks like her two-legged dog, Gracie, or her three-legged pony, Prince.
"We're helping these animals live longer by bracing them and supporting them," Angela said. "It's the difference between having an animal put down and actually helping them have some normalcy to their life."
Animals arrive at her farm in need of a new limb or special care, and Angela uses her degree in orthotics and prosthetics from Spokane Falls Community College to create custom orthotics and prosthetics for these critters.
"I've done thousands, ten...twenty thousand braces, specialized prosthetics," Angela said. "I created a wheelchair for a skunk, I built a lemur brace...we get a lot of goats, donkeys....we get a lot of farm animals. We pretty much take on anything."
Sometimes, the animals she helps become part of her farm family, like Gracie, who was born deformed and sent to Angela by a veterinarian who knew Angela could get this two-legged dog's tail wagging.
"My three-legged pony, I adopted him in 2006 and just as soon as I adopted him, I knew that's what I wanted to do," Angela said.
Angela says her passion for helping animals began growing up on her grandmother's farm. Now, it continues to be a family affair as she works alongside her sister, Christy, helping animals through the Specialized Pet Solutions' Orthocare Fabrication, which they run out of their Spangle home.
"Animals are way easier than humans," Christy laughed.
The two sisters share a lot of laughs and a heart for helping animals and seeing them live their best lives.
"You don't have to spend $6,000 on a surgery, there's options," Angela said.
Angela is currently working on a new limb for that two-legged dog, Gracie. She and Christy hope to continue giving animals a second chance as long as they're able.
Story shot, edited, and reported by Melinda Lee for NonStop Local KHQ on October 3, 2024