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Dog in Wheelchair Forms Unlikely Friendship With Guinea Pig Sidekick
Meet Rex the boxer and Smores the guinea pig, an unlikely pair who formed an unbreakable bond.
After Rex’s best doggy friend died, he was down in the dumps. His owner, Holly Walthers, saw just how sad the dog was and knew she had to do something to bring his spirits back up.
Walthers is the founder of the nonprofit Team Leo Animal Rescue where “she specializes in helping elderly dogs with special needs, and dogs rescued from puppy mills,” shared Today. That’s how she found Rex, who is confined to a wheelchair due to a progressive spinal cord disease.
Walthers was able to save Rex’s life after she heard he was going to be euthanized at a California shelter. She then brought Rex to Colorado to live with her.
Walthers is known for taking in animals all the time, including a little guinea pig named Smores.
Smores and Rex quickly became close, giving him a best friend again.
“They just took to each other immediately,” Walthers shared with Today.
The pair now hangs out most days at Walthers’ other business, the Vail Doggie Day Spa. They lounge out at the spa and go hiking together. Smores even hitches a ride in Rex’s wheelchair, sitting in the little basket that serves as an adorable sidecar.
“He won’t leave without Smores,” explained Walthers. “He won’t ever leave without her.”
Walthers saw how adorable the pair was and began to share pictures online. The internet even gave the duo a nickname calling them Rockin Rex and Sidekick Smores.
The duo is such a hit that Walthers has people reaching out asking for special videos or sharing how they were encouraged to go to an animal shelter after seeing the pair together.
Many fans of the pair also say the cuteness must be distracting and Walthers couldn’t agree more.
“People are always like, ‘I wouldn’t get any work done,'” said Walthers. “Yeah, I don’t always get a lot of work done.”