The Woertink family from Victorville, California knew right from the time Rexi was born that there was something different about her. Once she hit about 10 weeks old, the difference between her and other dogs was all too clear. Rexi was a special girl.
“She was limping, so I took her to the vet thinking that she sprained her leg or something and got X-rays, completely normal,” said Rachael Woertink.
At first, no one was very sure what was going on with her. After the first vet visit, the family took Rexi to another vet, and she was diagnosed with a neurological disorder. At this point, she’d lost complete use of her front legs, and despite not knowing exactly what was wrong, it was clear something was.
“Even one of the vets said, ‘Maybe you should think about putting her down.’ She is like family to us you know. We don’t have any kids so this is kind of like our kid right here and we treat her like that,” said James Cassity, who is Rexi’s human dad.
Even though Rexi had difficulties getting around, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying with every bit of effort she could muster. She would get around by pushing her body along the ground with her back legs, her chest scraping the ground all the way. Her family got her a wheelchair and a protective vest, but to no avail.
“Any kind of invention, somebody who knows something about dogs missing their front legs or handicapped, maybe some kind of doctor who knows about a surgery,” said Cassity. “It wasn’t her fault she was born that way, so just trying to find something to fix her.”
If you’d like to know more about Rexi or her family, or wish to make a donation to her cause, you can click here.