A paralyzed bulldog has found a special calling in life: greeter at her local PetSmart.
Named Butterfly, the dog is often seen at the Dubuque, Iowa PerSmart scooting over to guests in her specially made wheelchair.
The now 3-year-old dog was rescued last year from a puppy mill by PetSmart trainer Jane Wickler.
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Wickler drove 1,900 miles in 23 hours to Tennessee to get her special-needs dog. The bulldog, given the name Butterfly because her legs splay out like wings, is paralyzed because Wickler believes she was in an abusive situation. It is believed she was kicked when she was sitting down, resulting in crushed vertebrae and a dislodged stomach.
Butterfly, the wheelie-legged Bulldog/Facebook
It seems like she was kicked in the lower back in an upward swing, which knocked out the stomach and jammed the vertebrae up with enough force to blow disks.
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Initially upon rescuing her, Butterfly was “quiet, mellow, snuggly and didn’t move around a lot,” Wickler tells This Dog’s Life. But after given her special wheelchair, she has gained confidence and happily acts as the greeter at the PetSmart Wickler works at.
“Now she’s all over the place,” says Wickler.” She’s mouthy if she’s not getting enough attention or treats, especially at work.”
And customers can’t get enough of her. “OMG, look at her, look at the wrinkles,” Wickler tells us about what people think of her. “Some people shop when they know she will be there.
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