Gift article. Enjoy! #dogs #dogsoftwitter
Dog paralyzed in hit-and-run was adopted, then learned to wag his tail https://t.co/KrjdGQ8KLd
— Mrs. R. Snugglesworth and Cool McDude (@MrsRSnuggles) August 20, 2023
A timeline cleanser to start the weekend. (Don’t miss the closing paragraphs!):
Animal control officers in Chattanooga, Tenn., got a call about an abandoned dog cowering beneath a car in a parking lot in January. When they arrived on the scene, they found a stray dog that couldn’t walk and was covered in splotches of oil.
They took him to the McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, where a veterinarian concluded he had been hit by a car and was partially paralyzed.
“After the hit and run, he’d pulled himself to safety under the car, and we had no way of knowing how long he’d been out there,” said Lauren Mann, the animal shelter’s director of advancement.
The dog had a spinal cord injury, leaving him unable to use his back legs — or wag his tail.
He was treated for his injuries, and fitted for a canine wheelchair they had at the shelter. He took to it as soon as he was strapped in.
Mann and other shelter employees named the black-and-brown mixed breed “Ward the Wunderdog” because of his resilient nature and sweet demeanor, she said.
Once Ward gained some strength, they listed him for adoption and took him for regular physical therapy sessions at a local veterinary clinic that offered free hydrotherapy sessions for injured shelter dogs…
Then on July 11, a woman who works as a physical therapy assistant went to a Bissell Pet Foundation adoption event and saw Ward. She was immediately smitten.
Kellyn Murphy said she and her husband Matt Murphy knew they wanted him. Where other people saw a paralyzed dog who couldn’t even wag his tail, Murphy saw a loving face and a lot of potential.
“As soon as I saw him, it became my goal to get him moving and standing,” she said. “I spend my days helping people do these things, and I thought I could also help Ward.”
Kellyn Murphy hoped he’d be a fit with their three other dogs, adding that special needs animals are often overlooked, but can make great pets…
Less than two weeks after taking Ward home, Murphy saw Wade lying on the floor one morning chewing a bone. Then, in what seemed like a miracle, Ward wagged his tail.
“It was a small wag, and it was only one wag, but it was definitely a wag,” she said…
Friday Evening Open Thread: The Most Important Dog SkillPost + Comments (22)