There are a few things that we enjoy more than a good old fashioned “beat the odds” story. We love to see a great underdog tale, right? They are especially fun when they take place in real life. Take the dog in this story, for instance. Cooper was found by local animal control officers back in 2017. The poor pup was totally covered in bruises.

He could barely breathe without experiencing pain. He looked much different than the average dog, as well. This is because Cooper was actually suffering from a very rare spinal disorder. He was diagnosed with a shortened spine and this condition makes him look as if he does not have any neck. He has to spin his whole body in order to turn around.

Cooper has had a long, hard road. He is trying his best to stay brave, though. Can you believe that he is one of the only dogs on the planet to suffer from this condition? There are only a few dozen dogs on Earth who are suffering from the same condition as he is. It is believed that the breeders who are responsible simply left him outside once he was born.

Ever since then, he has been doing his best to fend for himself. Secondhand Hounds was given the chance to help him after he was found by animal control officers. This organization was not going to give up on Cooper like so many other people already had. This nonprofit is located in the state of Minnesota. Once he arrived, he was taken in by Elly.

She and her family were supposed to serve as a foster home for the dog. After a while, it was time for the pup to head to his forever home. When Elly tried to gather applications for forever homes, she ran into one major issue: no one seemed to want to take on the responsibility. At this time, she knew that there was only one thing left to be done.

The dog would simply have to stay with her. She could not bear to force him back out into the world. This is a commendable decision from Elly. There are a lot of people who simply would have brought Cooper back to the shelter. If you would like to learn more about Elly, Cooper and their inspirational story, be sure to check out the video below.