One rainy day in December 2016, a woman and her son went for a walk through their local park in Sacramento. As they were walking, they spotted two tiny, shivering puppies sitting on a blanket. The pups were dirty, emaciated, and covered in abrasions.
The women and her son immediately took the puppies over to the Sacramento SPCA, but sadly one of the puppies passed away soon after arriving at the shelter. The other puppy, Petey, was freezing cold and struggling to survive.
But Petey kept fighting, and soon, he was on the mend!
Once Petey had started recovering, the veterinarians at the shelter realized there was something different about him. The puppy seemed to be very uncoordinated, and he had trouble eating.
After running some tests, the vets realized Petey had cerebellar hypoplasia.
Cerebellar hypoplasia affects a dog’s fine motor skills. Because he had this disorder, Petey wasn’t able to walk very quickly, and he often fell over when he stood up.
The staff at the Sacramento SPCA were determined to help Petey, and so the pup started going to physical therapy every day. Slowly but surely, the pup began getting steadier on his feet.
Soon, Petey made a major breakthrough: he was able to eat on his own!
The Sacramento SPCA shared an adorable video of Petey on their Facebook page. The video shows Petey playing with one of his toys and having a blast!
Once Petey was feeling better, he went to stay in a foster home.
His foster mom loved him, and she found a good way to keep him safe while he was playing. She put Petey in an inflatable pool—that way, if he hit his head it wouldn’t hurt. The plan worked great until Petey bit a hole in the pool!
In January 2017, the Sacramento SPCA announced that Petey was ready to be adopted.
The shelter explained that Petey would need a special home with parents who were patient with him:
“This 2 month old Bully mix has cerebellar hypoplasia. What does that mean? Well, he’s not super coordinated and it takes him awhile to get where he needs to go. This condition is permanent, but animals tend to learn to compensate over time. He’ll need a home that can keep him safe and secure and willing to go the distance.”
The shelter received lots of applications, and soon, they found the right forever home for Petey with a kind couple. The couple loved Petey from the first moment they met him!
Petey is a cute, determined pup who won’t let anything stop him from living his best life. If you want to learn more about adorable little Petey, check out the video below!
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