When it comes to celebrating our favorite friends in the animal kingdom, we’re always ready to show them plenty of love!
Still, while each and every animal is pretty darn spectacular, we’ll confess that we do have a special soft spot in our hearts for some of the creatures that spend their days making human lives that much better.
There’s something truly exceptional about loyal animals like horses, kitty-cats, and sweet pups — like this fluffy cotton ball with the face of an angel — that just makes life that much better!
And if you know dogs, you know that they will never give up on their human. Even when you’re at your lowest, in the worst mood of your life, a pup will always do everything in her power to boost you back up again.
That’s why it’s so powerful to see humans that return the favor, and absolutely refuse to give up on their very best four-footed friends.
Check out the gallery below to learn the background behind one incredible puppy-love story.
Gremlin, now 5 years old, is a beautiful valley bulldog who lives in a happy and loving home with his human family.
But Gremlin didn't exactly get the easiest start in life.
As a puppy, he was the runt of his litter, and was unable to gain enough weight.
Fortunately, he was adopted early on by his fur-ever mom, Chrissy Wilson, who was bound and determined to give her little guy a good life.
When they first found each other, poor little Gremlin was throwing up all day long, and still couldn't put on any weight.
The veterinarian gave Gremlin a grim prognosis: The pup likely only had a year to live.
Eventually, however, Wilson was able to get a diagnosis for her poor pup, who couldn't keep down enough food to gain weight.
He had canine megaesophagus, a condition where his throat muscles are too weak to push food all the way down, so it gets stuck in the esophagus, where it's eventually vomited back up.
With the diagnosis, Wilson was able to start thinking hard about a solution to improve little Gremlin's quality of life.
After lots of research, Wilson hit on an innovative solution that would improve Gremlin's life dramatically and allow him to gain weight.
All she needed to do was change the way he ate.
Instead of eating standing on the ground, as is healthy for most dogs, Gremlin needed to sit up straight, to allow gravity to pull his food into his stomach.
To help Gremlin, Wilson jury-rigged something called a Bailey chair.
For humans, Bailey chairs are generally used to help children with developmental or physical disabilities sit upright.
Gremlin's chair works in much the same way: It holds him vertical, with a high chair-style tray to eat from.
The initial idea proved to be a huge success, allowing Gremlin to eat and reach a healthy weight for the very first time.
Wilson took the idea to a handy friend, who ended up developing a nonprofit called Bailey Chairs 4 Dogs, to help other dogs living with the condition.
They have now successfully helped hundreds of dogs have happier and healthier lives.
Gremlin, meanwhile, isn't resting on his laurels. He's become a doggy advocate for the chair that saved his life.
He shows off his skills by napping in the chair, hanging out, and, most impressively, jumping into the chair all by himself, and showing other dogs (and humans) just how this awesome concept works.
If you'd like to learn more about this awesome project, check out Bailey Chairs 4 Dogs, and watch the video below to see Gremlin putting his moves in action!
Please don't forget to SHARE this awesome idea with friends and family to help raise awareness about dogs that just need a little extra loving to live their best lives!
