All the so-called influencers out there have got nothing on Dexter the dog!
This six-year-old Brittany Spaniel is taking social media by storm through his impressive capability of being able to walk long distances in his Ouray, Colorado hometown, by making use of only his hind legs. Kentee Pasek, Dexter’s owner, proudly told 9 News that everyone in town knows who the talented dog is. As a matter of fact, the townspeople know him more than they know them.
Because of an accident, Dexter has trouble using his front legs. But this didn’t stop him from developing his exceptional talent, which sky-rocketed him to fame not only in Ouray but across the internet. He has an Instagram and TikTok account with nearly 70,000 and 227,000 followers, respectively–both of which are being run and managed by Pasek.
Despite the limelight he enjoys, Dexter had had a heartbreaking journey before becoming what he is now.
In 2016, then one-year-old Dexter managed to escape his home as he sniffed around for nearby deer. When he darted out to the road, a truck ran over both of his front legs. Of the incident, Pasek shared how they all thought he couldn’t make it. And the unfortunate incident came after she also bid farewell to two of her dogs within two years.
But Pasek was determined to save him. She said that they couldn’t put him down without giving him a fighting chance to survive. Similarly, his veterinarian also strongly believed in his power to survive after the accident. They resorted to amputating one of his front legs and inserting pins in the other through surgery.
And after a series of surgeries and rehabilitation work, Dexter managed to learn how to walk comfortably using his hind legs. Eventually, he was able to make use of them all the time. Then, as he was out on a walk with Pasek’s mother, someone recorded the pup’s special strut and uploaded it on TikTok.
Soon enough, the video went viral, making Dexter an internet star in his own right. Since then, he has been featured by various media outlets and even appeared in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Now, Pasek is spending her time managing the talented dog’s social media platforms after losing her full-time job as a manager of a local hot spring pool. However, she clarified to 9 News that she is not doing this to monetize her pet’s talents–she just wanted to share how resilient and brave he is to the rest of the world.
And because of Dexter’s positive attitude, Pasek believes that no matter how bad things are right now, we will be able to get through all the trials as a world.
Source: @dexterdogouray / Instagram