12 dogs with disabilities who are living their best lives

Reuben and Keisha are two best friends who both share a common characteristic — they're both on wheels. In Reuben's case, he was taking his usual morning swim when his back legs suddenly collapsed. After he was rushed to the vet, they discovered he had a bulging disc that ruptured and punctured his spinal cord. His family didn't know if the paralysis would spread all the way to his brain, but fortunately it stopped just below his front legs. After an adjustment period with his new wheels, Reuben is now off to the races, and still the same fun-loving, snuggly dog he's always been.

Keisha's back legs are also paralyzed — it happened while she was playing with her family. While the vet recommended she should get used to the wheelchair by using it for 10-minute intervals, her owner said, "The minute she went in her chair, she took off."

Dotty was discovered to have a melanoma in her left eye in February 2016. She immediately went into surgery and had her eye removed (she would have otherwise gone blind eventually). When her owner picked her up from surgery, she "was looking very swollen, wobbly, and sore." But later that day, instead of recovering from her major surgery, she was already up and "hunting" for rats. Even though she's only got one eye, she still enjoys the same activities she used to: chasing anything that moves, running, paddle boarding, and eating bacon — she just occasionally bumps into things.

Bali Pip was a stray dog on the streets of Bali who had mange, causing her to lose most of her fur. Cearns said she loved having her picture taken, and that she was "a natural [who] loved being in the spotlight."

Her photos went viral, and once her mange cleared up she was quickly adopted.

Jessie made a sharp turn while chasing after a ball and severed her spinal cord.

Though she tried physical therapy, her family decided that it was putting too much stress on her and chose to invest in a set of wheels instead. Her family has had to replace those wheels multiple times due to frequent use and speed.

Her family says, "Jessie's accident has made us all realize that you cannot let things get you down in life, as long as you have love and determination you can conquer pretty much anything, including stairs."

Oompah was in bad shape before she was rescued by the Shenton Dog Refuge.

She was underweight, both ears infected, with cracked skin oozing pus and an extreme case of mange that caused 80% of her hair to fall out. According to her family, she was "so far gone that if Shenton Dog Park hadn't been a no-kill facility, she would have been put to sleep."

Cearns posted a photo of Oompah online, and it went viral. Hundreds of strangers donated money to help pay her medical bills, and she was soon adopted. Her owner told Cearns that "her strength of spirit and her never ending well of love definitely kept her going throughout whatever ordeal she had been through."

Jakk was abandoned when he was just a few days old — his umbilical cord had recently fallen off and his belly button wasn't even healed yet when his rescuers found him in the trash.

They believed he was put there because of his deformed front legs. He was soon adopted, and given surgery for his front legs, but sadly Jakk ruptured a ligament in his knee and passed away when he was only 16 months old.

Raul had a lower disc rupture into his spine, resulting in paralysis, but according to his family he was "out of his cage dragging himself around like a seal, not realizing his handicap, and above all happy to see us" right after his operation.

Now, he uses a wheelchair on walks and drags himself around at home. He receives a lot of attention when he's out and about, and people always want to know his story. "What he's lost in leg power, he's received 10 times over in pats and love!" his owner, Alice, said.

She also explained that "sometimes strangers question why we kept him alive, but as soon as they see how happy he is they understand. He's an amazing, resilient little guy."

Vegemite, or as his family calls him, Veg, was attacked by another dog. His family called it "horrific," and while the vet tried to save his eye, it wasn't possible. Veg's family was worried about his quality of life with just one eye, but "he has adapted so well and loves watching TV."

"We'd be so lost without Veg. He is our everything, definitely part of our family," they said.

Bandit was adopted when he was 2 years old, after he was surrendered to a ranger. He had a large, permanent scar on his forehead that his family used to apply cream to in order to keep it soft. He also needed nightly head massages — which, of course, he loved. According to his family, "Bandit trusted and loved everyone. He was a friend to all and loved a good belly rub. He would bounce up walls to catch beams of light, bounce along the beach to chase waves, but his special skill was being able to do bombies in the pool on command."

Lady Bug lost both of her eyes to glaucoma. She lost her first eye in 2011, and her family was sad to learn that she was developing glaucoma in her other eye as well in 2014. She eventually had to have the second one removed, too.

Though her family was nervous, they "needn't have worried though, as blindness has barely slowed her down."

Penny was brought into the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) when she was heavily pregnant, and almost completely bald from an untreated skin condition.

When her puppies were born, they were also hairless from an overgrowth of mites. They were fostered at 3 months old and later adopted. Their skin has completely healed and they're now happy and healthy pups.

Aryah was tiny enough to fit in her owner's shoe when she was adopted. They don't know what happened to her eye, but it hasn't slowed her down in the slightest. When she was first adopted by her family, she was "barely able to walk around, and so weak and so sick." However, her owner says that she got stronger every day, and that "Aryah is perfect to us."

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