Paralyzed Dog Couldn't Chase Birds In The Park Anymore Until His Owner Stepped In
It's the little things that matter.
Serhii Ivashchuk / Shutterstock Owning a dog is proven to boost the quality of our lives. Having a furry little friend improves our physical health, like lowering blood pressure and lessening our risk of heart disease. It also stabilizes our mental health, helping us feel less lonely and depressed.
Yet pet ownership has its fair share of emotional perils, especially when our beloved buddies grow older and fall ill.
A paralyzed dog couldn’t chase birds in the park until his owner stepped in — literally.
Artist and dog parent A. Szabla revealed just how far they’d go to make their Corgi, Aiden, feel alive and well, showing off the sweet ritual they share.
In June of 2023, Szabla and Aiden celebrated Pride Month by frolicking around Boston Common together, only the experience was a little different than usual, as Aiden didn’t have use of his legs.
Szabla set the scene, saying, “Your dog became paralyzed but used to love chasing birds, so now you are his legs.”
They carried Aiden in a little backpack and ran circles around the park, chasing wayward pigeons. Aiden woofed happily, doing his due doggie diligence by letting the birds know he was there.
“His one leg flapping along like he’s running,” Szabla wrote in the caption. “He loves it.”
“There couldn’t be a better owner for this pup,” someone commented, highlighting the unbreakable love and connection between person and pup.
“They say we don’t deserve dogs,” another user wrote. “But you, you deserve dogs.”
Sadly, Aiden passed over the rainbow bridge, yet his devoted owner can say they gave him the best life possible.
Szabla made a brief memorial post of Aiden walking in his wheelchair, saying, “I’ve been missing my little dude lately.”
“Aiden kicks his legs back like he’s swimming whenever he goes in his wheelchair,” they explained.
Aiden’s joie-de-vivre shows that it really is the little things in life that make it all worthwhile, like taking a sun-dappled sniffy walk in your doggie wheelchair with your owner right beside you.
Szabla shared that Aiden had degenerative myelopathy, a progressive condition that impacts dogs’ spinal cords, leading to muscle weakness and loss of coordination.
As noted by the Cornell University Canine Health Center, degenerative myelopathy is an inherited disease that affects dogs who are eight years and older. The illness causes gradual muscle wasting in the hind legs, progressing to an inability to walk after 6 to 12 months.
Jose Luis Stephens / Shutterstock
Certain breeds of dogs have a predisposition to getting degenerative myelopathy, including Boxers, German Shepherds, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis, like Aiden.
Sadly, there’s no known cure for degenerative myelopathy, yet there are steps dog owners can take to manage the disease.
Attending physical therapy can help sick pups maintain muscle mass. Using a wheelchair, as Aiden did, is another helpful tactic to ease the symptoms.
Other tips for care include putting down rugs so the dog doesn’t slip, using doggie stairs to help them stay mobile, and wearing booties to limit damage to their perfect paws.
Szabla clearly misses their best bud, yet it’s also entirely obvious how rich their shared life was. They did what they could to give Aiden the best quality of life he could ask for, which, in the end, is all we can hope to give our pets.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.