The heartbreaking story of Naki’o begins when he lost his paws and the tip of his tail to frostbite when he was a wee little pup.

Hold on, things get even worse for the poor guy… He was abandoned in a foreclosed home in Nebraska and was found frozen into a puddle of ice water.

Fortunately, he was discovered and adopted by veterinarian assistant Christie Pace of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Thanks to her, the wounds healed into stumps. Though the lack of his paws did not seem much of a hurdle for the puppy, trouble began when he grew bigger and Naki’o found himself unable to support his own weight with his stumps.

Pace raised money by setting up a fundraiser, then contacted OrthoPets – a US company that specializes in customizing artificial limbs and orthotic braces for animals – to create prosthetics for Naki’o. When they saw the dog, however, the animal hospital decided to treat him for free.

Awh, such a happy, happy ending.

If sci-fi isn’t your thing, how about a snake wrapped around your arm…Or an amazing looking wooden arm with a secret compartment?

These are just some of wicked-cool prosthetics created by the Alternative Limb Project…where they make the surreal to break down social barriers, delight the eye and provide an unusual talking point.

Crystallized Leg made for Viktoria Modesta playing the Ice Queen at the London 2012 Paralympic Closing ceremony fitted at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sponsored by Swarovski

Why are you looking down your top?

[Cheers obviouswinner]

Special effects artist and illustrator Meaghan O’Keefe has created Gartered Leg Prosthetics, a latex prosthetics kit to make your legs look like garters have ripped right into them.

Then to top things off, a pair of Gein Shoes…Your very own pair of people-skin shoes.

They make the perfect accessory to bustles, stilts, little black dresses and pretty much anything else you can imagine! Zombie Can-Can Girls! Gory Go-Go Dancers! Victims of Sadistic Torturers! Bizarre Ballet acts!

Both are available for purchase for $40.00 and $60.00 respectively at her shop, OpenWound FX.

[Cheers laughingsquid]