One of the worst things that can happen to animals is when someone buys them with not-so-good intentions.
This pitbull had the “worst owner”.
He fully intended to raise him to be a “mean” pitbull.
However, the first owner found out that the pitbull puppy, Gabriel, was born with a congenital deformity.
Gabriel couldn’t walk.
Gabriel was turned over to Pibbles Plantation with instructions from the owner.
“The guy who bought him had told us, ‘If you can fix him and make him meaner, I’ll take him back,'” Kat of Pibbles Plantation shared with The Dodo.
It’s scary how much that owner wanted Gabriel to live up to his stereotype.
Kat and her partner, Heather, weren’t focused on that though. They were determined to teach Gabriel to stand up on his own and live a happy life.
Luckily, two weeks before Gabriel entered their lives, two other dogs, Uriel and Samiel, came to them with the same condition.
What’s even crazier is that the three of them look so much alike.
It’s likely they’re littermates.
There’s one major difference between them.
Gabriel did not look like a happy puppy. He looked like a terrified puppy. It took them a week before they could reassure Gabriel that they weren’t going to harm him in any way.
They didn’t find out for sure but these dogs may have come from the same litter or the same dog parents because they just look too much alike.
What are the chances also that all three of them would be born with a congenial deformity?
Another thing they have in common is their desire to live their life.
They may have been born with a deformity that prevented them to walk but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t do other things.
Of course, it’s a challenge for them to do normal actions. Like feeding, for example. Their food is laid on potty pads where they can be placed on their stomachs so they can eat.
There are no bowls shallow enough for them so their fosters have resorted to placing their food on the ground.
Still, they started to thrive.
They loved to spend time laying on their stomach on the grass outside.
The dogs can’t stand up but it doesn’t stop them from wagging their legs and enjoying the nature around them.
They may only be a few weeks old but they’ve already learned not to let their limitation get in the way of their living.
They’re conquering the “box walk”.
One of the exercises that Pibbles Plantation does for them is to place them in an open wooden box and race from one side to the other.
The box has divisions that are big enough to fit them but not too big to force the puppies to stand up and not splay out their legs to the side.
This helped them learn to walk.
Because they’re still puppies, the fosters made it into a race so they can still play as puppies do.
By the time they were 12 weeks old, the three puppies were standing. Wow!
Unfortunately, Gabriel’s problems weren’t over yet.
They later found out that he had a congenital elbow luxation condition and his left front leg had to be amputated.
It broke their hearts but it needed to be done so he could be pain-free. They did worry that they had to go back to square one with the training after his surgery.
Gabriel had other plans, though.
He was a determined dog. The day after his surgery, he started walking. Soon after that, he stopped walking and started running.
That was also the day he was adopted by his forever family, Terri and Ann.
Learn more about Gabriel’s new life with his forever family and see him learn to walk in the video below!
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