A paralysed golden retriever abandoned by her owners has found a new family.
Sadly, Olivia broke her spine when she was three months old after she fell off a flagstone, paralysing her from the neck down.
Vets refused to euthanise her and so, the owners put her up for adoption.
Thankfully, Olivia was rescued by kind-hearted Mariana Camargo de Oliveira, 36 and now rolls about in a custom pink wheelchair.
The four-year-old dog is now thriving on her new wheels that come with matching accessories. In addition to this, she also has her own swimming pool.
‘When I adopted her she couldn’t move, she didn’t even have the strength to drag herself,’ Mariana, from Sorocaba, Brazil says.
‘The chair gave Olivia hope and a lot of freedom.
‘Today she is able to run and feel the wind on her face again.’
Her bright pink wheelchair has four wheels and supports her from the side, allowing her to keep up with her three puppy siblings; Sid, Sun and Jade.
Olivia’s accident happened in March 2018 while playing in her new home. Mariana was saddened by the owner’s immediate decision that they did not want the dog.
‘I was shocked by the lack of love and empathy from the family, and I felt something stronger than me, as if she was already mine,’ she explains.
‘As soon as I adopted her, we bought her the wheelchair.’
Olivia was given seven long months of rehabilitation with lots of physiotherapy.
This helped her to gain enough muscle to support her body in the chair.
Nowadays, she uses the chair for her daily walks but the 30kg pooch has to be lifted by Mariana and her husband Eduardo Palota, 38.
She also has to wear a cloth nappy, but this doesn’t bother her loving family.
‘She still looks beautiful and stylish!’ Mariana says.
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