Prepare to fall in love with Quasimodo, the full-bred German Shepherd who was born with an extremely short spine.
According to the BBC, Quasimodo was a stray, who was picked up in December and taken in by Secondhand Hounds in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
The 4-year-old pup is thought to be only one in 13 or 14 dogs in the world to have short spine syndrome. But despite his handicap, the organization says he is perfectly fine, and runs, plays and eats without pain. “Born different but never knowing any other way, he seeks to please the people who have shown him kind hands and warm hearts. He may not be as pretty as many dogs on the outside, but his heart and soul shine through and make him one of God’s most beautiful creatures,” Sara Anderson from Second Hand Hounds told KHQ.
Quasi the Great as some are calling him, recently had surgery on his tail and neck. He has also been neutered. The organization is looking to rehabilitate Quasi as much as possible before he is available for adoption.
Many are saying that Quasimodo’s defect is due to inbreeding, which is often used to achieve a quality, purebred dog. However, Dr. Susan Miller, who is helping Quasi, isn’t sure that is the case. “We think a genetic defect — not sure if it’s inbreeding,” Dr. Miller told Fox32 Chicago. “Something along the way caused his spine not to fully harden, so they think the softened vertebrate just compressed either in utero or very soon after birth, and then at some point it hardened, but it didn’t harden soon enough.”
Head over to Quasimodo’s Facebook page for more information!
