There’s so much more to Anderson Pooper than her “big poops”. The seven-year-old dachshund — whose back legs were paralyzed a few years ago following a spinal injury — overcame disability and not only competed in a Seattle dog race, but she stole the show with her heartwarming perseverance! The video above captures her short, but inspiring sprint toward the finish line.
Here’s a little more background on the race and Anderson Pooper, according to owners Dave and Brenda Sizer:
The family adopted the dog, who had a spinal injury from an accident, four years ago when they were contacted through the Animals with Disabilities nonprofit group that Brenda runs. Because of her paralysis, Pooper has to wear a diaper that the owners must change.
One day, Brenda remarked how the dog was a big pooper and Dave gave his pet her new name when adding his wife’s maiden name.
But Pooper couldn’t move very well. as her previous owners gave her a cart that didn’t fit properly. So the family got a custom cart made for her back legs from a store in Massachusetts – and she has been taking off ever since, Dave Sizer said.
“She loves running. Any chance she gets she’s all in for it,” he said. “We’ll take her to the coast and she’ll run on the beach and we have a hard time keeping up with her.”
Her owners are confident Anderson Pooper will continue to compete and not let paralysis slow her down:
“If there is a treat involved she will beeline to whoever has it,” he said.
That was Pooper’s first official race and Dave said they’ll do many more in the future.
“A lot of times people see her and go ‘awww, poor thing,'” he said. “We always say ‘don’t feel sorry for her. She could care less her legs don’t work. She’s as happy as she could be.'”