NEW PORT RICHEY — Her two Chihuahua mixes were born with just two legs.
And, with compressed spines, her French Bulldog and Rottweiler are too small for their breeds.
But don’t be shocked by the canines’ upbeat demeanors despite what some consider disabilities, owner Ellen Diaz said. They’re the right level of happy.
“They don’t know that they’re different,” she said. “They are the sweetest dogs and love their lives.”
Diaz adopts dogs that no one else might want, for two reasons.
“If I didn’t, they might have been euthanized,” she said. “And I want to show people that all dogs deserve a chance.”
Yes, they need extra attention. The Chihuahua Mixes get around fine, walking on their two back legs like humans for spurts of up to 20 steps before needing a break. But they require ramps to make it into bed or onto couches with Diaz, who operates The Polished K-9 pet grooming service out of her New Port Richey home and also volunteers at the Odessa-based Ladybug Farm Sanctuary that specializes in disabled goats.
Due to their spinal conditions, the French Bulldog and Rottweiler struggle to bend their heads to reach bowls of food and water placed on the ground. So, the bowls are elevated. And if the two can’t scratch an itch in a hard-to-reach place, just stand still as they rub against your shoe.
Nothing stops them from swarming to visitors or dancing, especially when Pitbull is on the radio, Diaz said: “He’s their favorite.”
The Chihuahua mixes stand on their hindlegs and hop about when the rapper’s music blares, while the other two shake their butts. And they always seem to be smiling.
“What do they have to be sad about?” Diaz said.
Sid, a Chihuahua-Greyhound mix who is also missing an eye due to glaucoma, and Sophie, a Chihuahua-Miniature Pinscher mix, are rare sights and are treated as such when taken out in public, Diaz said. After all, it’s not every day that people see two two-legged dogs walking side-by-side like humans — and sometimes dressed like people, too.
“They love Christmas, when they can be elves,” she said.
But Shorty the French Bulldog and Sherman the Rottweiler are more statistically rare.
They have short spine syndrome, a genetic condition that caused their spines to shorten and compress. Neither has a visible neck and both have bodies that are shorter than they should be, accentuated by heads and legs that are a normal size for their breeds.
“It’s likely caused by inbreeding,” said Minnesota’s Elly Keegan, whose short spine dog has a Facebook page that provides information on the condition. “It happens from time to time.”
There is no official count, so it’s unclear how many such dogs there are worldwide. Different sources provide different numbers, ranging from 50-150.
“Probably more are born,” Keegan said. “But they don’t make it because they are euthanized because people don’t know what it is. They don’t have to be. My goal is to let people know that they’re not in misery … They just look a little wonky.”
That’s Diaz’s mission too, and why she regularly takes her dogs to places like retirement communities, hospitals, parades and children’s events at libraries. The four not only spread their cheer, she said, but hopefully convince others to take a chance on pets that are different.
“They are such happy dogs,” she said. “How can you not love them?”
Diaz didn’t need convincing to provide a forever home to a short spine dog. She sought one out.
“I thought they were the coolest dogs out there,” she said. “I always reach for the unique, the different.”
Diaz found her first, a Caucasian Shepherd named Tyrion, in Poland through a Facebook group dedicated to short-spine dogs. She adopted him in 2017. He died in 2019. Not long after, Diaz adopted Shorty.
“He was part of a group rescued in Arkansas,” she said. “He was living outside. Can you imagine, a French Bulldog living outside in Arkansas? That’s insanity.”
She adopted the other three over the past two years. Her friend found Sid in a zipped-up sleeping bag in a Tampa apartment building hallway. Sophie was left alone after her Bradenton owner was arrested and taken to an animal rescue.
She later got a call from a friend who owns a different rescue.
“He said, ‘Ellen, you’re not going to believe this, I have a short spine,’ ” Diaz said. “I was there in 10 minutes … The minute I met each of them, I had a very special connection with them. I just said, ‘Your last name is Diaz.’ They are what are referred to as foster fails because no one else wanted them. But I think everyone should want dogs like this — this happy.”
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