Meet Cooper, a Dog Who Was Born Without a Neck and Has Half a Spine but Has Succeeded in Finding His Forever Home
Cooper is the kind of dog you can’t stop staring at, and not because he’s trying. Born with a short body and no neck, he looks like he was built by someone who skipped a few steps, then somehow still managed to nail the best part: personality.
Rescuers found him in 2017 and brought him to Secondhand Hound in Minnetonka, Minnesota. His first placement didn’t last, because Cooper was determined to chase the cats, and that made life at home a mess. Then Elly Keegan stepped in, and the story got even more complicated when Cooper suffered a fall that caused a five-part neck fracture and a bone infection.
But surgery improved his ability to use the restroom independently, and now Cooper has fans, attention, and a forever home that actually fits him.
Meet Cooper, the Dog That Was Born with a Short Body and No Neck but Has Managed to Find a Loving Family
That cat-chasing problem was the reason Cooper’s first home at Secondhand Hound did not work out in the first place.
After Elly Keegan and her family took him in, the real test became Cooper’s health setbacks, starting with that brutal fall.
He was transported to Secondhand Hound, a shelter in Minnetonka, Minnesota, after being discovered by rescuers in 2017. Unfortunately, the first home he was placed in didn't work out because he liked to chase the cats there.
However, Elly Keegan and her family quickly became Cooper's ideal home. While many people might overlook a dog with such an unusual appearance, or worse, he could have been put down due to his condition, Elly has a soft spot for dogs with disabilities and is determined to provide Cooper with the care and attention he needs. The dog initially experienced a few health setbacks, including a fall that resulted in a five-part neck fracture and a bone infection.
Cooper's condition has, nevertheless, improved in other ways.
And if you think Cooper’s odd body is surprising, watch the dog get turned into a “pin cushion” after a porcupine run-in.
Click the Video to Watch Cooper and His Adorable Family
Even with a five-part neck fracture and a bone infection, Cooper kept finding ways to be himself, and Elly kept showing up for him.
Now that Cooper can use the restroom independently thanks to surgery, he gets the one thing he never had before, a home where he’s celebrated instead of managed.
Elly claims that due to a congenital abnormality, he essentially had his "butt on his back," but surgery has improved his ability to use the restroom independently.
“Wherever he goes, he draws attention, but he really revels in it. He has a lot of fans on Facebook,” Elly told the Daily Mail. “He’s such a friendly dog.”
Even dogs with unique requirements or those with slightly distinctive appearances deserve to be loved and cared for. We are very happy that Cooper has found the ideal home where he will be accepted for who he is.
Cooper didn’t just survive without a neck, he found a family that treats his “look” like the whole point.
Cooper’s story is sweet, but see how the “happiest dog” proved love still wins in this family’s adoption of a dog born with a unique spine condition.
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