You will be hard-pressed to let a typical Monday get you down after you
watch the video of this two-legged dog enjoying his first trip to the
beach.
"Duncan Lou Who" is
gaining a new level of Internet fame following a clip uploaded on March
22 to YouTube. The video, which was filmed with a
GoPro camera,
showcases the two-legged pet scurrying across the sand and playing with
other humans and dogs. Duncan looks like the happiest pup of the bunch.
YouTube viewers are huge fans. One wrote, "Raddest little dude," while
another thought, "This video broke my heart and then put it back
together again."
According to
Panda Paws Rescue of Vancouver, Washington, Duncan is a 9-month-old
Boxer "who was born abnormal." Due to a birth defect, his back legs were
amputated. A custom wheelchair was built for the dog, but he did not
like using it properly and the device ended up causing more stress on
his body. The registered nonprofit rescue decided to simply let Duncan
roam free, and he has been happy ever since.
Followers
of Panda Paws Rescue have known about Duncan for some time, but the
rest of the world is just becoming familiar with the inspirational dog
after the video "Two Legged Boxer Duncan Lou Who - First Trip to the
Beach" was posted, generating more than 1.7 million views. In the
comments section, the organization clears up questions that people have
about Duncan's situation.
"He is not a candidate for prosthetics
because he doesn't have a femur to attach them to, and we will not use
him for experiments to try and find something else to [
sic]
could do more harm than good," Panda Paws Rescue wrote. "He is lean,
yes. He is a Boxer puppy who is missing almost a 1/4 of his body and
uses twice the energy of a 4 legged dog. The rear half of his body has
atrophied as well, from lack of use. He is on the best possible diet and
his weight is monitored."
The
team at the rescue works with veterinarians to monitor the dog's health.
They note that their biggest concern with Duncan at the moment is his
lack of external growth; they hope his internal organs are not
outgrowing him.
Panda Paws Rescue notes that while Duncan is not
available for adoption, the dog's story is still inspiring many who see
the video.
"Proving once again
you can't keep a good dog down!" wrote YouTube commenter James Lewis.
"From one dog lover to another I'd like to thank you for being such an
awesome person and giving this wonderful dog a great life!"
