Meet Cooper, the dog with no neck. He’s been featured on several blogs and is a bit of a social media star, all thanks to his unique appearance.
Cooper got his one-of-a-kind appearance when he was in the womb.
Several of his vertebrae fused together when he was developing, and Cooper was born without a neck.
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It made things difficult for a dog that otherwise just wanted the life of any other dog.
An American Foxhound, Cooper was discovered as a stray in Halifax, Virginia.
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He was left near a puppy mill, where he was later found and rescued by officers.
Imagine their surprise when they saw him. A puppy with no home and no neck, but still very much alive and well.
At the time, no one knew if the puppy would survive for long with a condition like that.
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But he should at least get a chance, so they rescued him and took him to Secondhand Hounds.
Needless to say, the lack of a neck is a big obstacle for Cooper. Walking is a tremendous task on its own, as is bending down to eat.
Oh, and given the shorter digestive tract as a consequence, he also struggles to poop. Nonetheless, Cooper keeps on living and finding things to keep himself happy.
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He goes straight from neck to back. Fused from right here all the way to the middle of his back.” – said someone from his page, “Cooper – Short on Spine, Big on Love”
It’s no secret that Cooper looks a bit funny.
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His arms look like they’re coming out from behind his head, and he looks pretty uncanny when he runs about.
“I didn’t want him to be a novelty. I didn’t want him to be something where people just said ‘Oh my gosh, look at that, he’s so different.’ He’s just a family dog.”
But first impressions can be deceiving.
When Cooper was first picked up by a foster home, he showed that not having a neck doesn’t stop an energetic dog.
He “whirlwinded” through the house, as his foster mom described.
Cooper was barking and running about like a typical house dog, and that’s what everyone wanted for him.
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He gets along immediately with other dogs, and makes a huge mark on their lives from the get-go.
It truly seems like nothing can hold him back.
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Cooper now has several social media pages dedicated to his adventures and everyday life. The pages, “Cooper, Short on Spine, Big On Love” have tens of thousands of followers. I don’t think Cooper even knows how famous he is.
Throughout the photos and videos, Cooper shows that sometimes, even birth defects can’t stop a happy dog trying to live its life.
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He’s become an icon and a hero to many, and we can only hope he lives the long and joyful life he deserves.
Watch Cooper’s foster mom talk about him in the video below. Pay a visit to his many social media pages too, and give this article a share while you’re at it.
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