Southeast : The Tale of a Paralyzed Dog That Refused to Give Up

Chilly Willy has a new leash on life.

A Chihuahua paralyzed from the front paws down, Chilly Willy is becoming something of a dog about town in Long Beach now that a set of custom-crafted wheels have taught him a few new tricks.

There was the appearance two weeks ago on the “Tammy Faye Baker Show.” And he was leader of the pack for Friends of the Animal Shelter in the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade. He also visits convalescent homes to share his can-do spirit.

“Dogs don’t feel sorry for themselves. They just do what they have to do to get by,” said Deborah Turner, Chilly Willy’s benefactor and owner of Doggie in the Window pet shop in Long Beach.

Abandoned in a box downtown, the pooch pulled his three-pound body by his front legs. He was emaciated, his dragging legs calloused and his back toenails bloodied.

When Turner first saw him, she “cried and cried and cried” and then gave him a home and a better wardrobe than her own. She named him Chilly Willy because he looked like the cartoon penguin and his balance was awry.

One vet has hypothesized that the Chihuahua suffers a degenerative disk disorder while others surmise he experienced a physical trauma before he was a year old, perhaps from a car or a kick. With regular visits to a West L.A. acupuncturist, however, his health has improved.

Yet it is the specially made cart tailored to his measurements by K-9 Cart Co. in Montana that has turned Chilly Willy into a new dog.

“Once he got the wheelchair, you would have thought he’d worn it since the day he was born. He goes down curbs, through mud puddles, over rocks,” Turner said. “When he sees a human being on a bicycle, he’s thrilled.”

Mobility has made Chilly Willy buff, too. He’s added two pounds to his frame and two inches to his chest.

Still, celebrity does give paws. After public appearances, Turner said, people call her store or stop by to claim Chilly Willy as their long-lost dog. Others come simply to experience his canine charisma.

“And this is the dog no one ever wanted--that’s why I ended up with him,” she said.