Tank was born without the ability to use his back legs. At 4 weeks old, when his breeder in Cheyenne discovered this, they took him to a veterinarian to have him looked at. The vet recommended a specialist and physical therapy. The breeder decided to ignore these recommendations and wait another 4 weeks for Tank’s condition to worsen. His breeder ignored the fact that Tank sat in his urine and feces and developed a skin infection. Eventually, the breeder decided they didn’t want to help Tank and brought him to Black Dog Animal Rescue, in a bucket that had feces and urine at the bottom.

We did not hesitate to accept Tank into our rescue and take him out of the neglectful hands of his breeder. However, we do not have the resources to help a special dog like Tank but our rescue community does. Our first priority was getting him to a veterinarian and making sure he got antibiotics for his skin infection. Next, our priority was finding a transfer partner that could handle the medical needs that were in Tank’s future.

Through our connections with animal welfare professionals, we were connected with Panda Paws Rescue who put us in touch with Lily’s Pad Rescue - a specialty rescue that helps medically fragile bulldogs and is known for their devotion and unwavering support of these pups.

We are proud to partner with Lily’s Pad Rescue and Panda Paws Rescue to help Tank get the care he deserves. While everyone worked on logistics to get Tank to Lily’s Pad Rescue in Washington, he was happy and playful in his foster home in Laramie. The antibiotics helped his skin infection begin to heal and his foster mom made sure he was clean from his fecal and urinary incontinence. He even got his own pair of snazzy suspenders to keep his diapers on!

It’s not confirmed yet - Tank will need further medical testing - but it’s suspected that a congenital spinal defect is causing the issue with his back legs, incontinence, as well as ataxia and abnormal muscle mass. Despite all of this, Tank is a happy and thriving dog. He loves to play and cuddle up close to you. No one has been able to resist snuggling him back!

Lily’s Pad Rescue organized a transport through the Southwest Animal Transport Team (SWATT) pairing Tank with a flight angel to get him to Washington. This transport was changed when the flight angel became sick and Tank was put on a flight that same day with the Delta Animal Rescue Transport (DART), a very close partner with SWATT. We say it often because it’s true - teamwork makes the dream work.

If Tank’s story has taught us anything it's that our animal welfare community contains some of the kindest and most loving people out there. We couldn’t help Tank without them.

In the end, it took the collaborative efforts of over 15 people spanning six organizations to give Tank his second chance at love and a life full of happiness. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone that helped Tank. We are honored to be part of his story. <3