Lucy, an 18-month-old Texas Heeler plays a wicked game of soccer. She has come a long ways since contracting a rare disease among puppies called hypertrophic osteopathy, (HOD). At three months old she caught the painful condition that destroys bone near the growth plates in her leg and hip joints that made her unable to walk or stand. She survived with intensive care. After several months of gathering her strength back and slow rehabilitation she is now a force on the soccer field. She is mostly self taught, instinctually taking to the game after watching youth soccer games near her house. She uses nose and head like a person’s foot to push the soccer ball upfield, pass it and defend. She understands out of bounds lines and is now working on scoring goals into the net.