Gemma McKee, 26, has Cesar, a two-year-old Great Dane, to thank for helping her to walk after breaking both ankles in a diving accident.
But she was left heartbroken after her “rock” suffered a back injury, leaving him without the use of his rear legs.
Cesar suffered from fibro-cartilaginous embolism – a blocked blood vessel in the spinal cord – in January.
Determined to fight on for her beloved dog, Gemma went looking for a specially built cart which has allowed him to run again.
Gemma, from Paisley, Scotland, said: “My heart broke when the vets told me Cesar wouldn’t be able to walk unaided again. He’s been such an active dog. It sounds strange but I understood what he was going through –less than a year before Cesar’s illness, doctors told me I’d never walk again.”
Just as Gemma was getting back on her feet, Cesar woke whimpering and limping.
He was referred to a spinal specialist who said he would never walk again.
However, Gemma fought on, saying: “As long as he wasn’t in any pain, I was determined to help my devoted pet get mobile again – I couldn’t bear to see him looking so sad.”
Finding a cart for the ten stone Great Dane proved tricky though, with wheels of that size unavailable in the country.
But Dogs on Wheels in London copied a US design for £500 instead of £2,000, making him mobile again.
Since getting the wheels in May, his health has improved and he is back running again.