High Point monk adopts three-legged rescue dog after 121-day shelter stay

A peace walk in High Point ended with a rescue story that felt bigger than the temple grounds. Venerable John Manivong of Wat Prakeonaramith adopted Hopper, a three-legged dog from Guilford County Animal Services, after the two formed an immediate bond during the monk’s Walk for Peace.

Hopper had already survived a major medical ordeal. Guilford County Animal Services said the dog’s leg had to be amputated to save his life, and he spent 121 days at the shelter before Monk John brought him home. Shelter staff described Hopper as having “never lost his gentle spirit,” a detail that helped turn a simple adoption into a story of resilience and second chances.

The dog’s path to Wat Prakeonaramith started when a volunteer brought him to the temple after Manivong’s participation in the peace walk. What followed was not a brief visit, but a growing attachment that drew in temple staff and volunteers as Manivong pushed to keep Hopper with him. After one night back at the shelter, the dog returned to the temple, where the bond proved strong enough to become permanent.

The adoption carried added meaning because Manivong’s walk was part of a much larger spiritual journey. Walk for Peace describes the trek as roughly 2,300 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., led by monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center. The North Carolina stretch of the walk wrapped up in mid-January, placing Hopper’s adoption within months of a cross-country pilgrimage built around harmony, compassion and mindfulness.

For Guilford County Animal Services, the match also underscored its work with lost, abandoned and surrendered animals in the community, including pets with special medical needs that can linger in the shelter system far longer than healthy animals. Hopper’s 121-day stay stands out as a reminder that long-term shelter residents can still find homes, especially when adopters are willing to look past a missing limb and see the companion inside.

The timing also lands just ahead of Wat Prakeonaramith’s Lao New Year celebration, set for April 25-26 in High Point. That gives the adoption a local cultural backdrop as the temple prepares for one of its biggest community moments, now with Hopper likely among the most memorable new faces on the grounds.