Disabled Dog Defies The Odds

Jake, a 4-month-old golden retriever, lost his hind legs soon after he was born. But with the help of a Scarborough family, Jake gets around fine. So well, in fact, that he's become a source of inspiration for human youngsters with disabilities.

Jake's story caught the attention of Animal Planet, a cable TV channel. Jake will appear on a new show called Pet Story this summer. A TV crew has been recording his progress the last two months.

Jake's mother rejected him from her litter and chewed off the bottom half of his hind legs.

Shannon Walker, the owner of Jake's father, took the puppy into her care just a couple of hours after he was born. She thought his injuries were life threatening, but a veterinarian assured her that Jake could survive.

The family bottle-fed Jake hourly through the night and took him to the vet nearly every day. They also took him to a specialist in New York City for orthopedic surgery and outfitted him with a custom-made wheelchair.

Walker started bringing Jake to her 11-year-old son's class at Wentworth School when the puppy was just a few days old. Wrapped in a towel and tucked into her purse, he wasn't any bigger than a hamster.

"He was anything but cute when he was first born...he looked like a little rat," she said.

Now Jake rides to school in a baby stroller. He's a class fixture who loves the affection showered on him by the children. He chases the kids, goes after tennis balls and enjoys the pastimes other dogs do.

"A lot of the kids who use wheelchairs themselves really have empathy," said teacher Nancy Darling-Kirby.

While Jake seems oblivious to his disability, his vet wants Jake to avoid putting pressure on his hind legs by staying in his wheelchair. Jake, meanwhile, likes to scamper. But as he gains weight, he puts more strain on the bottom of his thighs.

He quickly outgrew a donated dog wheelchair, and he doesn't like the new one, which slows him down.

So, now the Walkers are looking into custom-fitting Jake with prosthetic limbs.

"That's what he really wants," Walker said, "so he doesn't have to live in that wheelchair, so he can run around like other dogs."