Giant Dog Pushes Himself To Walk Again In Order To Be With His Favorite Boy Again

Nov 03, 2020 by apost team

Owning a pet is similar to having a child. You nurture and love them as they grow up. They take a special place in your heart, and any good pet "parent" would undeniably do everything they could to keep them healthy and happy. 

That was the case for Melissa Mullamphy and her family, who live in New York. In 2018, their beloved dog Grizzy lost his ability to walk after he was diagnosed with Wobblers. Here is their story

In an interview with The Dodo, Mullamphy said that when she first met Grizzy, a massive dog who weighed 150 lbs at the time, she knew he would get along perfectly with her son Luke. 

Unsurprisingly, Luke and Grizzy immediately became the best of buddies. He and the rest of the family would do everything together with Grizzy. They watched TV and went outside to play. The family was inseparable from him for the most part. Grizzy and the family seem to be doing well until they noticed something going on with him one day.

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The family noticed that Grizzy was having a difficult time walking. They thought his muscles were getting a little weak and decided to get him checked by the vet. After performing a thorough examination, the vet revealed that Grizzy was suffering from Wobblers Syndrome, a neurological disease in dogs that affects their spine and neck. 

It is quite common in large breed dogs, and Grizzy fell into that category.

The vet explained that Grizzy would need to have surgery to fix the problem. He assured them that he would be able to walk out of the operating room, Mullamphy told The Dodo. They agreed to the surgery, but instead of walking independently, he was carried out on a gurney. This concerned his family, who feared he would lose his ability to walk for good. The vet told Mullamphy that if he could not walk after four months, he would never be able to walk again.

Some people outside of the family thought Grizzy would become nothing more than a 160-pound dead weight. But Melissa and the rest of the family refused to believe that and decided to do everything they could to help him.

Grizzy while he was at home. They performed therapy techniques for his limbs and the rest of his body. And Luke did his part to encourage him in his unique way. He would read stories to him, and they would watch cartoons together. Grizzy would even sleep in Luke's bed every night. The entire family felt their efforts were going to work.

Sadly though, there were no improvements in him getting any better. This did not discourage the family, and they remained hopeful that he would be able to walk again.

In July 2018, the Mullamphys found a rehab center with the necessary tools and training to help Grizzy, Mullamphy explained in her interview. They took him there and observed the treatments he received. The experience was difficult for all involved, as the Mullamphy's had to leave Grizzy at the rehab center throughout his entire treatment. 

He lived in a pen with other dogs, and the family could see how lonely and frustrated he became. You could see how much he missed his family. 

All of the workers encouraged Grizzy every day as the family stopped by to see how well he was doing. They worked with him for months, seeing his improvements with each session. Finally, with only three days left before Christmas, he was able to go back home.

As his family pulled up, Grizzy could barely hold back his excitement. He nearly ran to the car before they could get out and greet him. They were so happy and excited to see how well he improved that everyone started crying. Grizzy was able to defy the odds by pushing himself to get better. He felt his family's love and desperately wanted to get home to spend the rest of his time with them.

According to Grizzy's Instagram account, Grizzy passed away this year, though the Mullamphys continue to update the account. Melissa Mullamphy even wrote her own children's book about the experience.

Do you have a pet? Have they suffered from any illnesses? Let us know your experience with your pet, and post your opinion of this story below. Take a moment and have your friends and family read this story, too.