Nothing inspires quite like the resilience of a dog. They can overcome abuse and still love people, thrive through disability, and most of all, they never complain.
Two whole months after a Pit-mix was hit by a car, injuring his back, he was surrendered to a shelter. The pup had never been treated for his injuries in all that time, and he essentially had no use of his back legs by the time he was surrendered.
Seeing the extent of this dog’s condition, the shelter asked local rescue group One By One Animal Advocates for help. Devastated to see what the poor pup had gone through already, One By One shared his story on Facebook:
“For two months he has been unable to walk, or use his back legs. For two months he has suffered in silence. But today, THAT WILL CHANGE.”
The Consequences Of Delayed Treatment
One By One Animal Advocates named the brave boy Shohei and brought him to Proctorville Animal Clinic for a complete neuromuscular exam, X-Rays, and basic vetting.
Vets determined that Shohei had a compressed disc in his back. His condition likely deteriorated the longer he went without seeing a vet.
Frustrated, rescuers are confident that this extreme injury could have been prevented with immediate treatment after his accident. One By One Animal Advocates explained:
“The trauma of being hit by a car completely shoved two discs together, shoving the protective gelatinous material into his spinal cord. Had he been provided treatment with inexpensive prednisone at that time, he may have recovered. We can’t know that for certain, but it was a cheap, reasonable therapy that had the potential of great outcome.”
Refusing To Stay Down
Even after everything, Shohei loves every person he meets. He would never let two non-working back legs prevent him from running over for a greeting. The strong pup learned to move by scooting himself with his front two legs.
One By One Animal Advocates expressed so much pride in Shohei’s strength:
“Dogs are so resilient that he has learned how to get around despite his injury, and right now he can’t seem to believe the wonderful turn his life has taken. He’s hopping and happy and making friends.”
Shohei also has a custom wheelchair now, paid for through One By One’s fundraising. They made sure he got a personalized cart, not just a standard one you could find on Amazon. These carts can be pricey, but you’d be hard-pressed to think of a dog more deserving of one.
With his custom-made cart, Shohei can run around with the best of them. The rescue affectionately referred to him as “a greyhound on wheels.” Just look at him go over curbs and everything:
Heather A., President of One By One Animal Advocates, told Waggle how helping Shohei realize his full potential again affected his rescuers:
“To be given an opportunity to see Shohei be a dog again just makes me cry. He is one of those dogs that proves how resilient animals are, how they make the best of their situation.”
A Foster Family That Understands
While still hoping to find a forever home, Shohei was placed with the perfect foster. His foster mom helps him with his disability, but he’s thrilled just to have foster siblings and a yard to run around in.
“His foster is retired, so he has someone able to give him all the time he needs; she also has a special needs dog of her own, and is equipped with a doggy ramp for Shohei to use.”
As of the publication of this post, Shohei is still available for adoption on Adopt A Pit’s page. The organization, which stepped in to help One By One find a home for this guy, shared:
“He is the biggest love bug you will ever meet & he will pay you back 10 fold for the love you show him!!!”
Shohei is obviously a sweet and overwhelmingly optimistic dog who would make a great addition to your family!
Featured Image: Facebook
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via Whisker Therapy