Therapy dog for woman in wheelchair now needs wheelchair of his own

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — They are quick to be there for us, but now a therapy dog needs help of his own.

For the past 10-plus years, Spork has been an ear and symbol of support for Kimi Anderson.

“I’ve been a step away from having to go into suicide watch for something and Spork has been the one that grabbed me back because he gives me responsibility. He gives me everything to be,” said Anderson.

Anderson knows what it’s like to lose part of her freedom after a road rage shooting left her paralyzed from the waist down at age 12.

“With lots of shrapnel in my body and multiple chronic illnesses that I’ve been dealing with, which is why Spork is so important to me,” said Anderson.

Spork, a Beagle-Hound mix, has been Kimi’s best bud for more than a decade.

“He’s still the thing that gives me hope on bad days and keeps me going,” said Anderson.

But now Spork needs the extra support as his favorite walks around the block are becoming more and more difficult.

“Spork is entering the realm of paralysis at a much slower rate than I did,” said Anderson.

Spork has IVDD, a degenerative disc disorder causing paralysis in his back that will eventually move into his hips and back legs.

“Spork is what I have. Spork and our walks is what I have. So if I can keep this, I want to keep this,” said Anderson.

“It makes me want to cry. When I saw Spork’s legs just falling and him unable to walk and collapsing, it just broke my heart,” said Brooke Julian, Anderson’s neighbor.

Neighbors like Julian are stepping up to help Anderson raise money through GoFundMe to get Spork his own wheelchair and his own harness considering Anderson is using a loaner.

“You know it’s hard for her to bend over and pick him up. You know it’s hard enough for Kimi to get around, much less a dog that’s also now disabled and in need of a wheelchair,” said Julian.

Kimi shares a word of encouragement with Spork, hoping a sense of freedom that comes with a wheelchair will get Spork back on his feet.

“Like being able to be in charge of my body even though I’m literally not in charge of like half of it, and I want that for him too,” said Anderson.

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