Tyra looking at the camera with fluffy brown ears and fur. She is propped up by two large wheels on an axel, which helps her to walk.
Photos: @wheeled_up_pup
Tyra is resting on top of Rey, the family black Lab, who is also asleep. They are on a couch and look very comfortable.

T. Rex Tyra

When I got the email that Homeward Trails Animal Rescue needed a foster for a small puppy for three days, I had no idea that saying yes would be such an adventure for us both.

Tyra (for Tyrannosaurus rex) was born to a breeder who dropped her off to be euthanized when he noticed her front legs were deformed. The vet called the rescue to get help for her instead.

She was half a pound, and we fostered her without fully knowing what her needs would be. Our three-day fostering commitment turned into five months of helping sweet and feisty Tyra learn to walk, get fitted for a custom set of wheels by Bionic Pets, and then train on how to use her wheels for greater mobility.

We’ve since adopted her and are amazed every day at her resilience and all she has overcome. She’s still very much a dog: chasing the neighborhood cats, playing with our 65-pound Lab, Rey, and greeting other dogs and people we pass on the street.

She now weighs in at a whopping 5 pounds. The vet tells us that for her size she has the back leg muscle equivalent of a bodybuilder. We love rolling with this pup and hope to meet you on the road!

– K Scarry
2019 Crosstrek
Herndon, Virginia

Raza, a female pit bull mix, is sitting on carpeting and looking up at the camera. She has white fur primarily, but there is a brown spot on her back and patches of brown on her tail.
Photo: Carol Fegley

For the Love of Raza

In April 2020, while we were homebound because of COVID-19, I decided to foster a dog. I contacted our local SPCA and was told of a female pit bull mix that had been rescued from an abandoned house in West Philadelphia.

I went to meet Raza. She had several issues – an ear infection, a skin infection, a limp from a previously broken leg that had not been set properly and terminal cancer. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I could not let her live out her life in a shelter. Raza’s life expectancy was a few months to a year – 20 months later she is living the good life.

She is such a sweet and loving dog with a fantastic personality. I call her my watchdog because she watches for someone to come and pet her. It’s hard to imagine life without her, but we know it is inevitable. Until that day comes, we will love and spoil her.

– Carol Fegley
2020 Forester
Ashland, Pennsylvania

Sassy standing on grass wearing a light-blue sweater. Her head is turned to the side. She is a small Chihuahua-beagle mix that has spotted white fur and brown ears.
Photos: Susan Bardins
Sassy is standing up in her bed, looking straight into the camera. She has large brown eyes, brown ears and spotted white fur.

Sassy the Little Delight

In the fall of 2019, we watched the Subaru promotional ad to “Adopt an Underdog” and saw pictures of one-eyed, three-legged senior dogs in the ad, and my husband said to me: “I’d adopt any one of those dogs!” So I asked him how about a little (and I mean little!) senior dog that a local rescue had highlighted.

We already had two dogs, a golden retriever and a stray mixed breed that had wandered onto our horse farm and no one claimed. We never had a little dog before. But something caught my eye about 10-pound, 13-year-old Sassy, a Chihuahua-beagle mix, that Noah Project in Muskegon, Michigan, featured.

We met her on a Wednesday and took her home that Friday. Her hearing was pretty much nonexistent, but her eyesight was good.

For the past two years, a day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t make us smile or delight all the riders who come to see their horses. She’s no couch potato, either, we discovered. At 15, Sassy’s still ready to take on the larger dogs – and scatter a few cats while she’s at it!

– Susan Bardins
2019 Ascent
Ada, Michigan

Ari is strapped into his wheels, and he is standing on asphalt. He is looking directly at the camera in an alert manner, ready to work. He has black patches of fur around both eyes and the rest of his fur in front is white. But his back end, like around his eyes, is black.
Photo: Lisa Demetrius-Koukos

 

Ari the Comeback Kid

Ari is a 9-year-old French bulldog/Boston terrier mix. He developed intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) just before his fourth birthday. His spinal cord was damaged, leaving his hind legs and middle back paralyzed. Two options were on the table: emergency surgery with a 50-50 chance of life or euthanasia.

Ari had to be crate confined for six to eight weeks with light rehab to help circulation and rebuild strength. Because of his paralysis, he needs to be expressed several times a day. At first this was a daunting task – thank goodness for all Ari’s patience with a new lifestyle we both had to get used to.

The neurologist mentioned that Ari was most likely born with IVDD, but he never showed any discomfort until that morning. He has always been my little stoic guy who brings love and comfort to so many people.

Seven months after his surgery, which included hours of rehabilitation, reiki, acupuncture and pool therapy, Ari continued to overcome any obstacle in his way. He passed his American Kennel Club®(AKC) Canine Good Citizen® training and has over 400 hours as an AKC Therapy Dog™; he and I are a registered therapy animal team with Pet Partners.

He works in the hospitals as well as a reading program with special education students in the schools. Ari also has another job as a model/actor. He was on the Murphy Brown comeback TV show in 2018 and commercials for Samsung and BarkBox™ dog products. Ari does not think he is disabled!

– Lisa Demetrius-Koukos
2022 Outback
Danbury, Connecticut

The three dachshund boys, sleeping on carpeting in the sun.
Photos: JoAnne Tuffnell
An older gentleman, wearing brown pants and a dark-colored jacket, is standing next to his Subaru Forester with the three dachshund boys on a leash.

The Dachshund Boys

Murray, Pete and Henry are all old dachshund boys who have come to us in the last 3 1/2 years.

Murray’s owner died, and this miniature dachshund had all his teeth removed! He’s a gentle, laid-back boy who just wants to be held and loved. He has overcome Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease and idiopathic vestibular disease – and he continues to be sweet and loving.

Pete came because Murray was afraid to be alone. Pete’s family had surrendered him; he’s a ticket! He’s the loud one, barking at any intruder (including anyone who walks within 50 yards of our patio), and he runs so fast that we call him “mile-a-minute Pete.”

Henry, long haired, was found in the middle of a state highway last year. He needed neutering, serious dental work and treatment for epilepsy. He had to work hard to fit in with the other two, and as you can see from the photos, all three are buddies now. Your title is “underdogs,” but these three are top dogs around here.

– JoAnne Tuffnell
2019 Forester
Indianapolis, Indiana