The video: Behold the "bionic dog." (View video, below.) At just five weeks old, Naki'o was abandoned by his owners and wandered into an icy puddle, getting his paws stuck in the frigid water. All four frostbit paws had to be amputated, but in a "heartwarming" twist, the malnourished red heeler puppy was rescued by an animal shelter where, a veterinary technician raised funds to fit him with two prosthetic hind legs. Naki'o took to the prosthetics so "enthusiastically" that the organization Orthopets threw in the other two prosthetics for free. "Naki'o can now not only chase after a ball with other dogs," says vet tech Christie Tomlinson, as quoted by Incredible Features, "but he can beat them to the catch!"
The reaction: Though I "have a love/hate relationship with machines," says Chris Gayomali at TIME, sometimes, clearly, they "are capable of doing wonderful, beautiful things." Seeing Naki'o prance around on his prosthetics is incredibly inspiring. Agreed, says Erin Podolak at Geekosystem. Watching Naki'o thrive is "heart-meltingly adorable." The puppy's "drive and determination" proves that animals are better patients than humans, says Orthopets founder Martin Kaufman, as quoted by The Daily Mail. "They don't feel sorry themselves."
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