Energetic pup adapts to life on wheels

Scooter, an 8-month-old Labrador puppy, has buckshot lodged in his body. No one knows exactly when, where or how he was shot, but he's dragged his paralyzed hind legs around ever since. He was in a rural shelter when the Wake County organization identified his spark.

"The fact that someone would outright shoot a dog? That's just ridiculous," said SPCA spokeswoman Daci Vandersilk. "We knew that this dog had the resilience, and he deserved a chance."

They found two donors who fronted the $600 for Scooter's wheels.

He quickly adapted to the doggie version of a wheelchair. "Giving him a second chance, giving him these wheels, and showing him the love and respect he deserves, that's what all animals deserve," Vandersilk said. 

Now he's waiting for a forever family. "He deserves to know what it's like be loved. He deserves to know the feeling of a caring family," she said.

Scooter will be the lead dog in the injured and senior dog group April 20 at the SPCA's annual K9-3K fundraiser in Raleigh's Moore Square.