Mighty Mick: Paralyzed puppy learns to walk and swim

tails of survival

Rebecca Fishbein TODAY contributor

2 hours ago

When Sue Rogers first met Mick, a 6-week-old Boston terrier with Swimmer Puppy Syndrome, in early July, she wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to walk.

“I never thought anyone would be able to help him," Rogers told TODAY.com of the puppy, whose debilitating disability left him with splayed, muscle-less legs. "He was just flat as a pancake.”

But Rogers was determined to get Mick on his feet. As the founder of the Mia Foundation, a New York-based non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of disabled animals, she knew she had a duty to help the puppy after his struggling breeder sent him her way.

“Most puppies like this are euthanized,” Rogers said. “A lot of veterinarians just have the thought process, ‘well, there are so many highly adoptable dogs in shelters that could use a home, why not just put this one down?’ My philosophy is, if they’re born, they certainly deserve a chance to live.”

Rogers took Mick to her vet and began to engage the tiny puppy in a therapy routine. She started by swaddling him in a tight blanket to help ease his legs into place.

“I had a