We’re not sure if it’s because we’re outside the Gen Z, 16-to-24 demographic, or because we have attention spans well over a minute, but we don’t find ourselves watching TikTok videos very often. That may change, though, because we just discovered @dexterdogouray.
Dexter has three things going for him in the entertainingness department: He’s a cute Brittany Spaniel, he lives in Ouray, and he thinks he’s people. That is, he walks upright on his hind legs.
[html:4]The dog developed his unusual gait as a result of an accident in March 2016, according to the Denver Post’s The Know. After escaping from his yard, Dexter was hit by a truck and had his front legs pinned under a wheel. The San Juan Veterinary Clinic in Montrose was only able to save one of them, amputating the other.
Life was difficult for the dog at first, but by May of the same year, his owner, Kentee Pasek, noticed him navigating from the yard up five steps onto the patio using just his hind legs. That’s when Pasek began documenting Dexter’s achievements and posting them to social media. The dog’s Instagram account (which we also somehow failed to notice until very recently) now has over 5,200 followers.
“He’s a showman. He knows when people are watching and he’ll start walking” upright, Pasek told The Know. “People want to meet him. They either take pictures or get a picture with him.”
Dexter’s fame went nationwide after Arizona resident Mallory Gilbert recorded him in June on a visit to Ouray and posted the video online. The footage of his ambulation eventually led to the dog getting to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Yahoo! Life writes.
As long as the pooch’s hind legs remain healthy, his long-term prognosis is good. And as one can imagine, the skill and endurance required for an otherwise four-legged creature to do what he does are immense.
“He’s developed massive, weight-lifter thighs,” Dr. Chris Franklin, Dexter’s vet, told The Know. “He accepted that he has this adversity and that he’s not going to let it get him down. He has amazing resilience.”
If watching the dog waltz around his mountain-town home on several social media channels isn’t enough for you, you can also cover yourself and your own canine companion with products from Dexter’s Etsy store. Many items include the inspirational message, “Be Strong / Be Brave / Be You.”
Nick Gonzales
