Dog walking on hind legs after accident inspires audience

Many dogs think they are human, but Dexter, a Spaniel from Brittany in Ouray, Colorado, takes it to a whole new level.

CBS News first reported on Dexter a year ago. He was hit by a car as a puppy and lost a front leg. His other was badly damaged. Owner Kentee Pasek and everyone else assumed he would need special equipment to get around. Dexter was in a wheelchair for a while, but one day Pasek put him without a wheelchair at the foot of her porch.

Pasek went back in for a cup of coffee, and when she came back out, Dexter was standing – on his two hind legs.

“I was like, ‘Oh, we’re doing something completely different,'” Pasek told CBS News.

Since Dexter’s story was first reported, he has become a minor celebrity, appearing on TV shows and at animal shows. It prances beneath the skyscrapers of New York City and the cherry blossom trees of Washington, DC. Over time, the dog has accumulated more fans and followers than many of the most popular people. Dexter has even appeared in parades.

He also receives a stack of mail every month, including hundreds of letters of heartfelt gratitude from the people Dexter inspires or uplifts.

“Dexter shows us ‘Why don’t you write the book you want to write? Why don’t you do the things you want to do?'” Pasek said. “Because he has.”

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