Remaining active and optimistic, despite being confined to a wheelchair, Roosevelt-the-dog has proven to live up to his presidential namesake.
After adopting a border collie who was born with stunted front legs, Stephanie Fox named him after Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- who didn’t let his disabilities stand in the way of achieving greatness. She also bought him a custom-made wheelchair so he could play catch and race with his fellow pooches in Maine, HLNTV reports.
“People think he should have been put down because they think he’s suffering,” Fox told the Bangor Daily News. “But he wakes up happy every day. If you had a child with a disability you’d try to enrich them, give them opportunities. So why not do the same with a dog?”
Part of why she decided to adopt “Roosie” was to give her other border collie, Coal, a companion.
“Coal is black and white and named ‘Coal’ because his foster mom knew one day he would be someone’s diamond," Fox told HLNTV. "When I saw Roosevelt, I thought ‘red and white … Roosie—my ever blooming rose!’ What girl wouldn’t want diamonds and roses every day of her life!”
Although Roosevelt’s wheels give him a little extra attention, he seems to see himself just like every other pup out there.
“The only difference between Roosevelt and other dogs is that instead of a collar I snap on his wheels to take him out,” Fox told the the Bangor Daily News.
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