It was a wintry weather when a shivering puppy was in a puddle. It was with its family of dogs in a house in Nebraska. Because of this misfortune, frostbite caused him to lose a portion of his nose, paws, and an ear fragment.
A Puppy’s Voice is a rescue group located in Fort Collins, Colorado, where dogs were brought to and promptly cared for by their veterinarians as they nursed them back to health.
Looking for a potential pet to adopt, Christie Pace, a veterinary tech, found her way to this poor puppy. She knew she had to shower him with all the love she could give after reading about how his past was.
Following her heart’s desire, Pace and her husband took the puppy into his new home and named him Naki’o, symbolizing his experience with a puddle. As a 4-pound puppy, he could maximize his legs’ function until his physical growth caused him to gain much weight. As a result, Naki’o was no longer capable of walking or running.
Alarmed, Pace contacted OrthoPets, a Denver company specializing in animal prostheses. Since these are costly, her colleagues chipped in for the mutt’s sake. They did not know that she needed pieces for each leg to balance himself and prevent him from having possible back problems.
OrthoPets was kind enough to give him the rest of the prostheses for free, despite not being sure of the aftermath since he was about to be the first bionic dog with four limbs affected.
Pace recalled the first time her dear mixed breed tried on his new assistive devices and that he was not familiar with it at first but eventually figured it out as he played with his ball. Pace’s love for her dog urged her to start a nonprofit organization to rescue animals with special needs, known as Nakio’s Underdog Rescue.
More of Pace’s work includes a children’s book entitled Stubby and His Magic Boots, which she reads to children in schools together with Naki’o, teaching them about compassion and finding no difference in those who have disabilities.
A pet rally also happens every May to showcase the capabilities of disabled dogs. Naki’o served as an inspiration even to human amputees.
Source: Zuke’s