Even though Gracie was only a newborn puppy at the time, her – insert obscenity here – owners threw her out with the trash. As a result, when she was rescued, she was covered with maggots, which was a terrible sight. She also lacked the hair below her eyes that she had previously had. Her rescuers also discovered that she had been born with a congenital abnormality that caused her to be born without her front legs. No one knew what difficulties Gracie had through in her young life, but they were all aware that she was in for a difficult battle ahead of her.
Gracie was later adopted by the Turley family, who also happens to be the owners of a pet shelter of their own in the area. The family already had a paralyzed dog and a three-legged Chihuahua, so adorable little Gracie looked like the perfect addition to their pack of canines. The Turley family, on the other hand, was concerned about Gracie’s mobility because she was still a developing puppy and would not be qualified for a wheelchair fitting until later.
Dylan, a 12-year-old volunteer, was inspired to come up with a wonderful solution at that moment. He came up with the idea of building Gracie a makeshift wheelchair out of Lego — something that could be readily re-adjusted to accommodate her growth as she continued to develop. It turned out that Dylan’s brilliant concept worked well, and Gracie was able to take her first steps with the assistance of her unique wheelchair.
When Gracie reached the appropriate age, she was able to be fitted with a “grown-up” wheelchair. As a result, today Gracie is just like any other dog – content, healthy, and enjoying herself by chasing after balls with her brothers and sisters.
We are confident, though, that she will be forever thankful to Dylan and her first wheelchair, which provided her with movement and freedom when she was a puppy.
You can check out the video below…