Even though this puppy was born without his front legs, he might as well be grooving through life with Van Morrison’s “Roll With The Punches” because he’s definitely teaching us a couple of things about self-acceptance and how to deal with our flaws.
The dog’s name is T-Rex, named aptly by his owners because of his similarity to the carnivorous dinosaur. He is a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix—or a Chiweenie, if you want to get cute about it. He’s currently an internet sensation because of the positive message he’s sending across the globe.
T-Rex came into this world together with a litter of six male puppies, three of them also born with disabilities. Because of his astonishing appearance, he was named as soon as he was born. He survived—and so did his other sibling, who didn’t have front legs either. Their other Chiweenie sibling, born without back legs, passed away and wasn’t as lucky.
An electrician acquired him from San Antonio, Texas named Felix Wiegmann through his cousin. At first, he was offered to several of his cousin’s family friends, but he always got declined due to his disability.
However, veterinarians are surprised by T-Rex’s strength. He is as determined as ever to live life as normally as he could.
While being cared for by his cousin, they got attached to T-Rex and decided that they wanted him to stay and be a part of the family. But since he was a special needs dog who required a ton of attention, his cousin kept him away out of fear from the trouble it might cause. They considered putting him down at first, but they were also really frightened by the idea that he couldn’t be able to get around.
But after doing some research, they were able to find out that he can grow up fine.
Before Felix got him, he already had an Instagram account, and now it has more than 6,000 followers as of this writing.
His disability notwithstanding, the little dog has grown accustomed to life without front legs. In fact, he can run at an impressive speed on a carpet!
Wiegmann says that the dog knows he has a unique condition, but it has not stopped him from running and being like any other Chiweenie that’s hyper and full of life.
T-Rex’s fur-dad also says that other animals seem to be more aware of the pup’s disability than he is. Weigmann owns other animals, including five cats and a Bichon Frise named Matilda, who don’t get along. However, they have a collective love for T-Rex.
During day time, the little dog is supposed to use a wheelchair to help reduce the stress on his back, but Weigmann decided to keep the usage under control since the lively puppy enjoys walking and hopping around anyway.
If T-Rex can live life to its fullest even though he doesn’t have two front legs, then you can do anything you set your mind to!
Credits: T-Rex / Instagram