It was an emotional summer night in New York when Alana Davis and her family said goodbye to their beloved Miniature Pinscher who had peacefully passed away after a difficult battle with cancer.
Little did they know, a very special four-legged friend was about to come ease their pain.
“Some of my friends had come over to pay their respects. After one of them had left, she texted me, ‘There’s a small dog in your driveway,’” Alana recalled.
Alana and her family couldn’t believe it at first.
Was this just a coincidence, or was it fate?
“It was really weird timing,” Alana shared.
Keep reading to learn how this very special stray dog arrived at the perfect time.
Serendipitous Meeting
When Alana received the text from her friend, she rushed out of the house to see this dog with her own eyes.
“We opened the gate and whistled, and he came running in,” Alana shared.
Once the pup was inside, they started looking him over to see if he had a collar or if they could recognize him from the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, they did not recognize this dog, nor did he have a tag on.
They decided to keep him overnight and look for his owners the following day.
While they were heartbroken at the loss of their dog, they were comforted by the presence of this canine stranger.
He happily kept them company, and they in turn tried their best to look for his humans.
Alana and her family decided to have his chip read at a local animal shelter, and they were surprised by what they discovered.
“As it turns out, his owner lived four houses down from us, and we had never met this neighbor before,” Alana shared.
They also learned their mysterious guest’s name was Howie.
They gave the man a call and he arrived later that day to pick Howie up.
However, what they thought would be a simple handoff ended up becoming something that changed their lives forever.
An Unexpected Addition To The Family
When Howie’s owner arrived to pick him up, he revealed that he was actually looking to rehome the pup.
“His owner was telling us that he lived alone and was a bachelor… he was having a hard time caring for him and giving him the attention that he wanted,” Alana recalled.
At first, the family was hesitant to take Howie in because they were still grieving the loss of their own pup.
But, they felt it was almost fate that Howie had shown up when he did.
They realized they didn’t want to say goodbye to Howie.
“He was amazing, friendly, energetic, well-behaved, well-trained,” Alana shared. “He was just so great.”
So they picked Howie’s possessions from the man and had him officially move into their home that very day.
“He fit right into the family. He was like a seamless addition,” Alana shared.
Life was going great for Howie for a few years until one day, things took an unfortunate turn.
A Heartbreaking Discovery
One morning, Alana unexpectedly woke up to find Howie dragging his back legs like he was paralyzed.
A visit to the vet revealed that Howie was suffering from a degenerative condition called Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
“He had essentially slipped a disc in his back. So, he had a severe back injury that paralyzed his two back legs,” Alana shared.
The vets suggested that Howie undergo surgery to repair his back and make sure that his condition didn’t progress to something life threatening.
However, the surgery had its own risks; it only has a 50% success rate.
Alana had a tough decision to make, but the answer to her was very clear.
“He was a part of the family… there was absolutely no way that we were not going to take the risk on surgery and give him the chance at life,” Alana shared.
Fortunately, luck was on Howie’s side as he eventually made a full recovery after his operation!
Bouncing Back
While Howie can’t use his back legs like he used to, the surgery successfully saved his life!
Howie had adjusted pretty well since then.
“It’s like he doesn’t even realize that he is partially paralyzed and cannot use his back legs,” Alana said.
His family then got him a custom wheelchair to make it easier for him to get around.
Now, you can find Howie zooming around in his cart like he’s the fastest dog at the park.
Overcoming Obstacles
This little champion refuses to let his condition slow him down!
Howie is a real trooper.
He even was able to incorporate his cart into his halloween costume!
“He is full of life and personality. He still wants to be as involved as possible in everything that’s going on,” Alana shared. “He shockingly runs as fast on his front legs as he did on all four legs.”
While things have significantly changed for Howie physically, he has managed to bounce back and overcome the obstacles.
We couldn’t be more proud of brave little Howie!
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