There are lots of extraordinary people in this world that do amazing things. Animal rescue volunteers do their job selflessly and without expecting anything in return except for puppy or doggie kisses. For animal rescue and shelter volunteers, seeing a dog happy and finding them a forever home is reward enough.
Heather Gibson is one of those selfless animal rescue shelter volunteers that gives her time to help dogs in need. She volunteers for Pits R’ US all Breed Rescue, and she worked with countless rescue dogs and always striving to give the dogs she works with the best life possible. As a rescue volunteer, she often takes in dogs to foster.
However, when the rescue organization brought Heather an adorable pittie puppy named Jack, Heather’s heart melted. Heather soon found out why the puppy was abandoned and why it was living in the rescue shelter. At first, the vets thought that Jack couldn’t walk or even sit up because he lacked strength. They provided Jack with food to give him his strength back.
However, as days passed, Jack still flopped to his side whenever he attempted to sit up. That’s when Heather realized that Jack had something seriously wrong with his health. Jack was unable to walk and would always fall to his side whenever he tried to stand or sit. Heather started talking to little Jack, and Jack would yelp back as if to thank Heather for helping him.
Heather refused to give up on Jack. The vets who looked after Jack was puzzled as to why he couldn’t sit up. They knew that Jack was strong enough, but they still couldn’t figure what was wrong. When Heather got Jack an MRI, that’s when they started to unravel the mystery behind Jack’s condition.
The MRI showed that Jack had severely enlarged vertebrae located at the back of his neck. The vets finally had a diagnosis, which was called cervical myelopathy. There is no cure for Jack’s condition, and the only way to get Jack to stand and walk is through intensive physical therapy, which focuses on training his leg muscles so he could support himself.
Heather and the rest of the rescue volunteers and workers pitched ideas to help Jack. They used a pool noodle wrapped with cut out pieces of urinary incontinence pad for comfort, which they placed between Jack’s legs. It helped support Jack sitting up without falling on his sides. Whenever Jack was lying down, Heather and other volunteers gently stretched his legs.
Progress was slow, but it didn’t matter for Heather. Heather’s determination was solid. She wanted Jack to learn how to walk. Heather knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but she stayed to support Jack. Heather’s persistence to help Jack paid off when Jack took his first unassisted steps. Although Jack was wobbly, he was able to stand up and walk. For Heather, this was a huge achievement for Jack that she cried while Jack was walking for the very first time.
Jack still has a long journey ahead of him, but Heather knows that he will eventually get there and become a normal puppy. Heather’s determination to help Jack and expecting nothing in return is truly admirable. Here’s a heartwarming video showing Heather’s heart of gold by helping Jack and giving him a chance to be a happy and normal dog.
Video Source The Dodo via YouTube