Jennifer Garrison was researching the crazy phenomenon of Spinal Walking for her paralyzed puppy Scooter when she came across an article on Lessons From A Paralyzed Dog. She and her husband adopted Scooter after he was hit by a car and left with a severed spine. Since joining the Garrison family, the little dog’s gained the ability to walk short distances even though he has no feeling in his hind legs. His neurologist attributes this miracle to spinal walking. Jennifer agreed to share Scooter’s story so other pet families can learn about this rare occurrence.
Jennifer and her husband Michael never had a handicapped dog before, but when they saw Scooter highlighted on their local news, Jennifer knew she wanted to make him part of the family. Michael agreed they should adopt the puppy.
Scooter was a malnourished puppy who had been living in an 8 inch crawl space under a building outside of Dallas. A recue group gained his confidence and pulled him to safety. When they had him in their arms they discovered he’d been hit by a car and his hind legs were paralyzed.
It didn’t take long for Jennifer to bring Scooter to his new home. She set out to learn everything she could about taking care of him and how to integrate him into their family, which included two dogs.
“My two miniature American Eskimo dogs, Victoria and Vivian helped socialize Scooter while I worked on learning how to massage and exercise his legs,” said Jennifer.
The phenomenon of spinal walking
Scooter’s veterinary neurologist noticed the little dog had good reflexes and could kick his back legs. He explained to Jennifer how these circumstances created the perfect situation for Scooter to learn how to spinal walk. So, Jennifer worked on the technique with her new dog.
Spinal Walking or Spinal Reflex Walking happens when a paralyzed dog is able to use their reflexes to move. It’s a type of involuntary motor function that continues to work deep in the spinal cord, even though a dog’s lost communication between the spine and the brain. Researchers think the phenomenon occurs because walking is hardwired into the spinal cord. And some dogs are able to remap the pathway of movement to their limbs.
It’s seen most often in dogs with injuries to the lumbar spine, and who, do not have an underlying medical condition.
Dogs that master spinal walking don’t take smooth steps like an able-bodied dog. Instead, they swing their legs underneath their body or kick their back legs out to get leverage. Their gait is unstable. They’re good at walking in a straight line, but have difficulty changing directions. This is due to their reflexes coordinating the message about how to walk, instead of the brain.
But no matter how it looks, spinal walking is a tribute as what the body is able to achieve.
Scooter’s neurologist explained the situation this way, “Scooter didn’t get the memo that he can’t walk. His body took over and decided to try it for him.”
Walking is a work in progress
Jennifer works with Scooter every day to keep his muscles strong. She’s even built an obstacle course for him.
“The course makes him think when he walks,” she said. “We hope his spine will one day fuse back together.”
Only time will tell whether Scooter will be able to walk and run like a healthy dog, but he’s made astounding progress.
Life has changed for everyone in the Garrison family. Scooter has a new home and his Mom and Dad have become advocates for homeless dogs in Dallas. They work closely with Dallas Dogrrr, the rescue group that saved Scooter’s life.
“Animals don’t really have a choice. When they get dumped, they don’t have an option,” said Jennifer.
Here’s a short video of Scooter spinal walking.