Find Out Why People Are Fascinated By This Extraordinary Dog
"Short-spine syndrome" is a rare condition that dogs can suffer from, and it's exactly what it sounds like. When you first come across images of dogs with this condition, you're gut-reaction will be that these dogs aren't real, and are instead a giant photoshop hoax provided by the Internet's collective wacky minds. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and you can find dogs with "short-spine syndrome" out there, the most famous being, "Pig, The Unusual Dog" on Facebook.
She's described on her Facebook page's about section as:
"Pig is a happy female mixed-breed dog born with the birth defect "short spine syndrome" -- but she is living life to the fullest! She lives in Alabama."
Her page is regularly updated, and her love of the South is rather apparent. There's not much research available on the Internet about why this condition exists, but researchers at the University Of Sydney Veterinary School are seeking answers.
The university's most recent update includes a description of the syndrome, stating it's a:
"severe shortening of the vertebral column or spine due to the compression of vertebrae. In a dog suffering from Short Spine, the vertebrae remain largely in their cartilage form instead of hardening to form bone. This will result in the compression of the vertebrae and the severe shortening of the whole vertebral column."
The condition can make activities like walking and eating a bit more difficult, but as you can see, it doesn't really seem to be slowing "Pig" here down in the slightest.