River was a stray dog that was rescued and brought to San Francisco SPCA, the local animal shelter. Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, president of SF SPCA, noticed that River was incapable of walking normally, so she made sure the dog gets the help she deserved.
Learning to walk
Whenever River tried to walk, he would stumble and it was evident that he was getting frustrated looking at other dogs playing. Dr. Jennifer felt pity for the Pittie so she promised River she would do everything she could to help her.
The next day, Dr. Jennifer brought River to an orthopedic who unfortunately had no idea how he could be of help. Instead, Dr. Jennifer contacted a company that made braces for dogs and set up an appointment for River.
Once River’s braces were done, Dr. Jennifer contacted a trainer to help River relearn how to walk properly. The first few days of physical therapy consisted of River stumbling and getting back up.
River was very food motivated so training included tons of sweets. Every sign of progress gave Dr. Jennifer hope that River would get to play like a normal dog.
Journey to forever home
After weeks of training, River was finally capable of walking without help. Soon after her physical therapy was done, a nice family volunteered to foster her.
It didn’t take long before Alicia, a friend of the family that fostered River, was interested in adopting the dog. As soon as they met, they instantly formed a bond.
River enjoyed playing with Alicia’s other dogs. Alicia loved how River played and ran like she didn’t have any disabilities. It took about a week before River became comfortable in her new home and Alicia was glad to provide River a good life.
Watch the heartwarming story here:
Source: The Dodo via Youtube
