The hindquarters follow.
And instead of consistently lifting and placing the recovering paw, Luna sometimes allows it to trail along the surface.
She has gained movement.
She has not yet gained reliable use of that movement.
The Toy Reveals What Controlled Exercises Don't Always Show
During rehabilitation, movement can be carefully arranged.
Luna can be positioned on appropriate footing.
Her body can be supported when necessary.
A rehabilitation professional can watch individual steps and help create opportunities for correct movement within whatever veterinary restrictions apply to her case.
But Luna does not spend every moment thinking about rehabilitation.
Sometimes she simply wants the toy.
That changes the situation.
The moment her attention shifts forward, speed and familiarity can take over.
Her front legs already know how to pull.
That movement has worked for her before.
So Luna begins moving in the way she has practiced during the period when her hind legs contributed very little.
The recovering paw does not always get incorporated into the sequence.
That makes the toy more than something Luna wants to reach.
It exposes the difference between movement that appears during controlled rehabilitation and movement Luna can integrate into an everyday task.
Dragging the Paw Is Something Staff Have to Watch Carefully
A paw trailing behind the body is not merely an unusual-looking gait.
Repeated dragging can expose the top or edges of the paw to friction against the floor.
Depending on the surface and the amount of dragging, that can create additional concerns for skin and tissue that may not tolerate repeated abrasion.
That means Luna's desire to move cannot simply be allowed to dictate how far she travels.
If she starts pulling herself toward something while the recovering foot trails behind her, the goal should not be to see whether she can make it all the way across the room.
The physical cost matters.
The paw matters.
And the quality of the movement matters.
A longer distance traveled with poor positioning is not automatically better rehabilitation than a much shorter distance completed with appropriate support and more controlled limb use.
Sometimes the better session is the smaller one.
Her Front Legs Aren't Doing Anything Wrong
There is nothing inherently mysterious about Luna using the part of her body that has been most dependable.
Her front legs became her primary means of getting around when her hind limbs were severely impaired.
They are still strong enough to initiate movement.
When something catches her attention, those front paws can immediately pull her forward.
The problem is not that Luna has somehow "forgotten" that she owns back legs.
Nor can anyone know exactly how she perceives the recovering limb.
The visible pattern only tells us what she does.
She initiates forward movement with her front legs.
Her body follows.
The recovering hind paw sometimes fails to lift and place correctly.
Veterinary and rehabilitation professionals have to interpret that pattern alongside the rest of her neurological examination and recovery.
It would be tempting to describe Luna as stubbornly refusing to use the leg.
That would assign an intention the behavior does not establish.
Her movement may instead reflect some combination of remaining neurological impairment, incomplete coordination, weakness, an established movement strategy, or other factors her treating team is in the best position to evaluate.
What matters is helping Luna practice movement safely rather than assuming why she moves the way she does.
Strength and Coordination Are Not the Same Thing
Neurological rehabilitation repeatedly exposes this difference.
A dog can have enough strength to produce a movement but not enough coordination to make that movement functional.
A limb can flex without stepping normally.