This Dog Shows How Being Different is a Good Thing

Looking to be inspired during these tough times? Follow Hannah, a special-needs rescue dog with the neurological disorder cerebellar hypoplasia @WobblyHannahtotheRescue.

Found at 10 months old on the streets of San Antonio, Texas, Hannah spent her first three years in foster and rescue care before finding her furever home in November 2019 with Cassidy and Meagan Drueppel of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Because of her special needs, Hannah struggled to get adopted, so her rescue — Albert’s Dog Lounge — offered gift card raffles to get people to share her story. “On her 3rd birthday, we applied to adopt her after following her story for a month,” says Cassidy, after she and Meagan realized that they were the family Hannah needed to step up.

“She may not be able to greet us at the door,” says Cassidy about life with Hannah, “but her whole body wiggles with excitement to see us come home. She may have to be carried up and down stairs, outside to the restroom, etc., but she moves independently if something motivates her with scoots, lunges, crawls and adorably clumsy steps/falls.”

Thankfully, Hannah’s condition doesn’t worsen over time or give her any pain. The biggest challenge has been figuring out how to best support Hannah in her mobility and desire to be more independent. “She is very stubborn and resistant to help,” Cassidy explains, “but also needs our help, so it has been a challenge to find the balance of those two things.”

The Drueppels have been working hard to get Hannah a custom wheelchair to allow her more independent mobility. Until she gets that wheelchair, Hannah rides through the neighborhood in her red Radio Flyer wagon wearing a pretty bandana. Her fur brother Coda is her best friend and they are inseparable.

@WobblyHannahtotheRescue documents more than her rescue journey and having physical special needs; it inspires people with just how special she really is. “Every day, she works so hard to become stronger and more independent,” Cassidy says. “She goes to hydrotherapy two times a week, she has learned to use a wheelchair, she is showing how even if she falls down 10 times, she always gets back up and keeps going.”

Cassidy hopes that people who see Hannah’s Instagram page may consider adopting a special-needs dog. “Being different does not make these dogs less adoptable, less lovable or less worthy of a good home,” she says, adding that the rewards are endless for caring for Hannah. “She gives back so much every single day. She is a joy to be around, has the biggest personality, and her facial expressions can tell you everything she is thinking and feeling. Being so hands-on with caring for her only makes the relationship that much stronger.

Read Next: Adopting A Special Needs Dog