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  • 18 hours ago
Who knew squirrels could be physical therapy? Wonkie is one of countless bulldog-type dogs abandoned because of costly health issues. Roadogs Rescue founder Nikki refused to give up on him, and Dodo editor Valentina shares the unexpected motivation that helped him get back on his feet.

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Animals
Transcript
00:00What you're seeing right now is a paralyzed Frenchie walking for the first time in months.
00:06The reason behind this miraculous turn?
00:09Most dogs' favorite activity, chasing squirrels.
00:13Until that day, Wonky hadn't taken a single step in months after being diagnosed with
00:19intraverbal disc disease.
00:22Like most pet parents would, Nikki, the owner and founder of Road Dogs Rescue, tried everything.
00:29Laser therapy, accu-scope treatment, honestly, you name it, and nothing really seemed to help.
00:38So she got him a wheelchair so he could at least stand.
00:41At some point, she'd accepted that, you know, this was going to be their life.
00:46And honestly, just being grateful for the opportunity to care for her 11-year-old dog.
00:51Wonky was still his happy little self, you know, enjoying being outside, watching the
00:55sunset in Sedona, celebrating his birthday with his favorite people, and of course, observing
01:01squirrels.
01:02But one day, he seemed to decide that being on the sidelines just wasn't enough.
01:07So instead of just watching the squirrels, he decided to chase them.
01:16Look at him!
01:18Nikki still isn't sure how he did that.
01:20I guess sometimes, animals just need to do things on their own terms.
01:24Get it!
01:25Get it, Wonky!
01:27Get it!
01:28But ever since that day, squirrels have been one more reason for Wonky to keep moving.
01:34Nikki still brings Wonky to physical therapy, which that, combined with some squirrel-induced
01:40motivation, basically means that Wonky can walk to his food bowl again, he can go on little
01:47runs by the beach, and he can step out of their home on his own.
01:51Even though he still can't go far, every single step feels like a miracle.
01:56We've featured a lot of Nikki's rescues over the years.
01:59Road Dogs specializes in the rescue, fostering, rehabilitation of bulldog-type breeds.
02:07And the noble dogs are very sweet and very beloved.
02:11Because of the way they are bred, they are prone to really serious health conditions, and
02:17honestly, they are too often abandoned because of the cost of their medical care.
02:23Every dog that Road Dog leads in has their own path forward.
02:27Wonkies just happen to include physical therapy and a very healthy obsession with squirrels.
02:36Jon?
02:36Jon?
02:36Oh, you just ran down near me?
02:40You just ran near me.
02:41You've been in the therapy and I'm not in the therapy.
02:45You are in the therapy, Jam?
02:45I'm not in the therapy, and I see you on my own.
02:50You
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