21 Pets With Special Needs Who Will Make You Wanna Foster A Pet Immediately

"He teaches me every day that no matter where you come from or what has happened to you, you can still be filled with love and optimism."

Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share how adopting a pet with special needs has changed their life. Here are some of our favorite (and most inspirational!!!) submissions:

1. Jango has come a long way, despite his odds!

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"My current foster Jango is both partially deaf and blind with a light sensitivity issue. He was the result of some very irresponsible people who bred two Merle Australian Shepherds to create a double Merle pup. This breeding often leads to blindness, deafness, and a host of other issues. Now, Jango has to wear cute doggles that help protect his eyes from the sun when he goes outside.

From being nursed through parvo, worms, and a bacterial infection to running around with his foster siblings, Jango has come a long way though and is almost ready to find his forever home!"

—brittanys4f83a17f5

2. Izzy was fearless to explore the world, even without his sight.

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"This is Izzy — I adopted him after he lost his eyes. He also had feline leukemia. This little guy was so fearless and happy to explore the world without sight, you wouldn’t know that he even had special needs. He died from complications of his leukemia eight months later, but he spent that short time living life to the very fullest."

—erinr4bbb15ceb

3. Charlie Kate taught her owner that special needs pets can be just as energetic as "normal" pets!

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"My sweet little Charlie Kate has a frozen leg. She was born without a kneecap, and subsequently has a permanently bent leg. It doesn’t slow her down at all though — actually, she moves faster than most of my other furbabies! She has taught me that special needs pups are just as energetic and capable, and are especially just as sweet!"

—mckenziem4c74777d7

4. Mr. George Washington helped his owner learn how to care for the both of them.

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"This is Mr. George Washington. He has a severe kidney disease and is quite old. As a college student, I sometimes forget to care for myself, but making sure he’s safe and will be taken care of always reminds me that I need to do the same for myself too. George Washington saved me. He’s old, has a hard time moving, and his kidneys aren’t working, but he still purrs and it fills my heart every night as I fall asleep."

—notaglassoflemonade

5. Bear is still happy and friendly even after FIVE medical scares!

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"This is Bear! He has an enlarged heart, a thyroid condition, a skin condition, slight brain damage from past abuse and requires blood thinners...and on top of all that, he just had his spleen removed! Has six prescriptions to take daily, but is still the happiest, handsomest, BESTEST best friend in the world! 1,000/10 - would rub his belly until my arm falls off."

—morganm4705f4864

6. Tessa completes her family, despite being a new addition!

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"Here's our tripod sweetie, Tessa. We went through a two-month vetting process with her rescue organization before we got to bring her home a good week and a half ago. Besides her missing leg, she has a lot of anxiety and fear issues. She was rescued off the streets in Iran and spent a year in a shelter before a volunteer brought her to the United States.

Just from her behavior it's clear she's been abused in the past, and though she's fearful, she's still sweet and cuddly and eager to learn. Plus, she has opened her heart fully to us and our three cats. Though she hasn't been in our lives for long, we know our family wouldn't be the same without her."

—melissan40168c557

7. Cambria and Xena taught their family to never, ever give up.

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"Our Cambria (black pittie) was saved from a southern Illinois truck stop in the middle of winter. She was found crawling around trying to survive. While fostering her, we found out she also has idiopathic epilepsy. Still, she does not let anything stand in her way.

Xena (tri color mix) was surrendered to Chicago Animal Care and Control as a puppy. Her legs were already atrophied and she was paralyzed. Despite her past, she still always has to be the center of attention and is our social butterfly.

Both our girls have narrowly avoided euthanasia, teaching me to never give up no matter how big the obstacle, and to always be yourself."

—laurat48a9cd4d1

8. Presley's anxiety helped his human deal with her own.

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"My dog Presley has pancreatitis and anxiety. His caretakers at the shelter said it was going to be a lot of work just to get him into a comfortable lifestyle. They were wrong. In a good home, he opened up really quickly and now actively seeks out strangers to meet.

Additionally, learning to work around Presley's anxiety helped me deal better with my own. I used to be really hard on myself when it came to my own attacks, and would try to force myself to do things I'm not comfortable with because I 'should be able to do them.' It got a lot easier to understand when I could compare it to Presley needing to go wind down when he got nervous around big groups, and not taking him to certain places because he doesn't like walking on tile floors. Getting him has made both of our lives a thousand times better."

—jeanjilge

9. Allison's cats taught her that every animal is worthy of a warm, loving home.

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"I currently have five cats and all of them have either feline aids or feline leukemia. Over the past four years, I've adopted all the FELV / FIV cats out of the local shelter. Even though many of them succumbed to their disease, they were able to finally get out of a small room and into a loving home, even if only for a few short months. They've shown me that every pet out there is worthy of a warm and loving home, even if they're sick and/or disabled."

—allisonr436d85448

10. Tommen ignited his owner's interest in neuroscience!

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"Tommen was born with cerebellar hypoplasia: basically his cerebellum, which helps control motor movement, isn't full developed. This causes him to constantly 'wobble.' Tommen's condition got me really interested in the brain. Now I'm currently working on getting my masters in neuroscience. If not for his presence in my life, I never would have realized how much I love neuroscience. And him!"

—l4ca1bf600

11. Knoxy is a prime example of learning to love again, even after tragedy.

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"This is my sweet baby angel Knoxy. She was in a puppy mill for about six years and was forced to have many litters of puppies. While she does not have any physical special needs, she does have emotional special needs — namely severe separation anxiety. But despite going through something so difficult at the beginning of her life, it amazes me how much love she still has humans."

—sarar60

12. Apple found his perfect forever home!

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"This is Apple — a four-pound, one-eyed, toothless senior chihuahua who we adopted in 2016. As we were told by the local shelter, numerous families passed on adopting him because he was 'too small and frail.' He had a very tough life before being rescued, but still never fails to make us smile."

—janessat3

13. This one-eared pupper proved it's okay not to be "normal."

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"I have two children who have autism, one on the mild end of the spectrum and the other on the severe end. We tried to adopt a special needs dog and the rescue actually DENIED us because they felt the dog wasn’t a good fit for a family with special needs children. It all worked out though! We found a dog who is perfect for us. And she only has one ear!!"

—leahl4b1538a56

14. Bruce taught his human to be full of love and optimism even when you have every right to feel the opposite.

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"Bruce came to me almost four years ago as a stray with a shattered leg. He had been wandering around almost his entire life with no one to care for him, but from the moment I met him, I knew he was my boy. Since then, he's been through heart worm treatment, an allergic reaction to that treatment, and an amputation to his back leg.

He’s the sweetest, funniest dog and hands-down my puppy soulmate. His eyes have so much love in them, and he just wants to lay on the porch in the sun or on my lap. He teaches me every day that no matter where you come from or what has happened to you, you can still be filled with love and optimism."

—amyjoan13

15. Valiant helped his mom make positive, longterm changes in her life.

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"Valiant had 1.25 ears, but that was plenty for him! He was a special needs rabbit that someone posted about on social media. One look at his photo and just KNEW he was my rabbit. He was found completely emaciated on the side of the freeway. I took him right away, but I had no idea how to care for him.

I was 25-years-old at the time and quickly going down a bad path of too much drinking and partying, and caring for Valiant helped me reprioritize my life and focus on something more positive. We lived five happy years together before his body succumbed to his illnesses. Valiant taught me patience and kindness. Now I foster special needs rabbits and volunteer at the rescue shelter every weekend."

—wandabubin

16. Gazpacho pulled his parents out of a hard time.

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"This is Gazpacho Santiago Emiliano Juan Jose. We call him Pacho, Pache, or Pachomole for short. This picture was from the animal shelter the day before my girlfriend and I got him. Today, he can be found cuddling with my kids, or shoving his face under the door to meow at me. He came at a dark time for both of us, and never fails to put a smile on our faces when he hops our way."

—brittneyw43d2025be

17. Sadie amazingly adapted to her circumstances and THRIVED!

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"Sadie was chained up in a yard for some time (enough to have a scar from an embedded collar) and had a severe injury to her leg, either from herself or from the other dogs in the yard with her, that resulted in her amputation. We adopted her a month after her surgery, and she was just as mobile as any other dog. Watching her navigate the world inspires me every day, and reminds me that no matter what, we are all able to adapt to the circumstances we are given."

—aleotoe

18. Moby challenged the term "handicapped."

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"This is my chocolate Lab, Moby. I adopted him about six months ago from a rescue that had to have his leg amputated due to his previous owner’s negligence. He had a rough first couple of years of life, but you would never know it if you met him. He’s the happiest dog I’ve ever seen and he shows me every day that nothing can hold him back. He recently started agility and he is just as fast as the other dogs! Sometimes I forget he’s missing a leg — I’m sure he forgot a long time ago!"

—ehhmuhley

19. Sky surpassed all of her mom's expectations.

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"This is my 5-year-old rescue, Sky. She is 100% deaf. We got her with she was seven months. At first, it was a challenge adjusting to a deaf dog. We had to make up hand signals for everything, and I wasn't sure how we would bond since I couldn't call her name. Turns out, she's a Stage 5 clinger! She snuggles me every day and always just KNOWS what I'm trying to tell her. We really have our own language. She's perfect!"

—haleyg42ade1d87

20. Cleo brought new meaning to her mom's life.

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"This is my girl, Cleo! I got her from the animal shelter near my college back in 2015. She has a crooked front leg, so she walks with a limp. When I adopted her, I had just gotten out of a toxic relationship and was super depressed. She brought new meaning to my life and continues to be the reason I get up everyday. She’s changed my life and I love her more than words can describe."

—ellenb4ee8c5d2a

21. And lastly, Skye taught his hooman that all we can do is try our best.

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"My dog, Sae, deals with severe severe anxiety after being rescued from a Korean slaughter farm. In the first few months of adopting him, I learned so much about how his brain works and what scares him. I learned about patience and finding new and creative ways to work around his fear. I'd walk in new directions, feed him in different places, and approach him in unique ways to try and alleviate his fears. No day is perfect, but he's trying his best.

He has taught me that you can’t force love, and you also have to adjust and act in ways that others can understand and receive. I have grown in patience, empathy, and understanding thanks to Sae."

—brittanyb47a9a0296

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