Disabled dog nearly euthanized, but vet tech had other ideas

A disabled dog rescued from “unsafe conditions” was almost euthanized, until a woman adopted him and got him his own doggy wheelchair.

Madison Ellis, 27, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a veterinary technician, has plenty of experience with disabled and special needs animals.

Her TikTok account, @megamindonwheels, often showcased her life with ginger cat MegaMind, who had multiple health issues but who lived an incredibly happy life, using a specially-adapted wheelchair to get around, until his death last year.

Now Ellis has changed the life of another animal: one-year-old Catahoula dog, Benji. The breed is described by the American Kennel Club (AKC) as incredibly loyal, gentle and affectionate, but can be protective and will not allow mistreatment.

This was not the case for Benji, who was brought into Ellis’ clinic in May “after animal control seized him from unsafe conditions,” she told Newsweek.

“He wasn’t able to walk, and couldn’t control his urine [or] defecating and our animal control is small and doesn’t really have the staffing to care for an animal like that so we took over his care,” she said.

The clinic tried everything to get Benji walking, from acupuncture to medications, but eventually had to accept there was “pretty much no chance of him regaining mobility in his back legs.”

It got to the point where the clinic had to think seriously about euthanizing Benji, as there was “no interest from adopters, fosters or rescues.”

But Ellis was determined to help Benji, and reached out to animal wheelchair company K9 Carts—who donated a wheelchair. Overnight “it was like he was a whole new dog.”

Ellis’ story has now gone viral on TikTok, with a video featuring Benji racking up over 27,000 likes and 243,0000 views since being shared on August 17.

The video, which tells Benji’s story from his point on view, starts with him arriving at the clinic after being taken from “some not so nice people.”

“I’m really scared and can’t walk,” text says. The footage goes on to show him being treated at the clinic, getting treated to whipped cream, and being helped to walk.

It then shows Benji in his wheelchair, being able to “move around again” and getting stronger every day. He meets Ellis’ other dog, who is his “new best friend,” and shows him getting covered in licks and kisses, and on a beach.

One particularly heartening slide shows Benji and his new brother on a walk together, with the words: “The vet tech said something about adopting me, I don’t know what that means but I hope I never have to leave.”

Ellis told Newsweek Benji didn’t have much personality when they first met, and wasn’t able to play “but once he got the wheelchair and met my other dogs, he really came out of his shell.

“I knew euthanizing him wasn’t an option because he’s a normal dog other than his back end doesn’t work.”

TikTok users were hugely moved by the video, with one commenter writing: “The picture of the other dog knocking him over with kisses is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Bless you for adopting him,” another said. “Living his best life.”

A different user admitted the footage “brought tears of happiness to my eyes,” while one wrote simply: “Thank you for saving him.”

Now that Benji is adopted and fully a part of Ellis’ family, she says they “go hiking on the weekend and he comes to work with me every day.”

“He’s become a favorite with all the clients!” she said.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

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