For The Joy of Animals: Super Dog — Naki’o

Like any super hero, tragedy struck Naki’o when he was young and it left its mark.

Naki’o was only weeks old when he, along with his mother and litter mates, was abandoned in the basement of a home in Nebraska. It was winter time. By the time Naki’o and his family were discovered and rescued, his mother was dead and Naki’o paws had become frozen in a puddle. Due to frost bite, amputations were necessary on Naki’o’s two back paws, front toes and part of his nose and tail.

This would be a tragic tale of irresponsible pet owners and harsh Nebraska winters if the story of Naki’o ended there. But it didn’t.

Though Naki’o would only crawl along on his stomach to play with the other dogs due to the rounded stumps on his back legs, Naki’o’s playful spirit shined through.

A young veterinary technician, Christine Pace, adopted Naki’o from the shelter, but she wanted to do more. After seeing another dog with a knee brace, Naki’o’s owner decided to hold a fundraiser to get prosthetic paws for his back legs. Between the generosity of the community and the makers of the prosthetics, Naki’o wound up with a complete set of bionic paws.

So what super powers does Naki’o the Super Dog have?