New Port Richey woman adopts two-legged dogs with rare genetic diseases

NEW PORT RICHEY – Her two Chihuahua mixes were born with only two legs.

And her French bulldog and Rottweiler are too small for their breeds because of their compressed spines.

But do not be shocked by the dogs’ optimistic behavior, even if some think disabilities, said owner Ellen Diaz. They are just right happy.

“They don’t know they are different,” she said. “They are the sweetest dogs and love their lives.”

Diaz adopts dogs that no one else wants for two reasons.

“If I hadn’t done that, they might have been euthanized,” she said. “And I want to show people that all dogs deserve a chance.”

Yes, they need special attention. The Chihuahua mixes get along well, walking like humans on their two hind legs for up to 20 steps before needing a rest. But they need ramps to get into bed or onto the couch of Diaz, who runs The Polished K-9 animal care service from her home in New Port Richey and also volunteers at the Ladybug Farm Sanctuary in Odessa, which specializes in handicapped goats.

Because of their spinal problems, the French Bulldog and Rottweiler have a hard time bending their heads to reach the food and water bowls that are on the floor, so the bowls are placed higher. And if they can’t relieve an itch in a hard-to-reach spot, just stand still while they rub your shoe.

Nothing stops her from cheering on visitors or dancing, especially when Pitbull is on the radio, Diaz said: “He’s her favorite.”

The Chihuahua mixes stand on their hind legs and hop around as the rapper’s music blares, while the other two wiggle their rear ends. And they always seem to be smiling.

“What do they have to be sad about?” said Diaz.

Sid, a Chihuahua-greyhound mix who is also missing an eye due to glaucoma, and Sophie, a Chihuahua-miniature pinscher mix, are rare sights and are treated as such when they are taken out in public, Diaz said. After all, it’s not every day you see two two-legged dogs walking side by side like humans – and sometimes dressed like humans, too.

“They love Christmas when they can be elves,” she said.

But Shorty the French bulldog and Sherman the Rottweiler are statistically rarer.

They suffer from Short Spine Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes their spine to shorten and compress. Neither has a visible neck, and both have bodies that are shorter than they should be, accentuated by heads and legs that are normal sizes for their breeds.

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“Inbreeding is probably the cause,” says Elly Keegan of Minnesota, whose dog with a shortened spine has a Facebook page where she posts information about the condition. “It does happen from time to time.”

There is no official count, so it is unclear how many of these dogs there are in the world. Different sources give different numbers, ranging from 50 to 150.

“There are probably more being born,” Keegan said. “But they don’t make it because they’re being put down because people don’t know what it is. It doesn’t have to be that way. My goal is to show people that they’re not in pain… They just look a little bit odd.”

That’s Diaz’s mission, too, and the reason she regularly takes her dogs to places like senior residences, hospitals, parades and children’s events at libraries. The four of them not only spread their happiness, she said, but hopefully convince others to consider other pets that are different.

“They are such happy dogs,” she said. “How can you not love them?”

Diaz didn’t need convincing to give a short-spinal dog a permanent home. She found one herself.

“I thought they were the coolest dogs ever,” she said. “I always strive for the unique, the different.”

Diaz found her first dog, a Caucasian Shepherd named Tyrion, in Poland through a Facebook group for short-backed dogs. She adopted him in 2017. He died in 2019. Not long after, Diaz adopted Shorty.

“He was part of a group that was rescued in Arkansas,” she said. “He lived outside. Can you imagine a French bulldog living outside in Arkansas? That’s insane.”

She adopted the other three in the last two years. Sid was found by her friend in a zipped sleeping bag in the hallway of a Tampa apartment building. Sophie was left alone after her owner from Bradenton was arrested and taken to a shelter.

Later she received a call from a friend who owns another rescue station.

“He said, ‘Ellen, you won’t believe this, I have a short spine,'” Diaz said. “I was there in 10 minutes… From the moment I met each of them, I had a very special connection with them. I just said, ‘Your last name is Diaz.’ They are what you would call foster failures because no one else wanted them. But I think everyone should want dogs like that – so lucky.”