The Story of Trimble and Twitch

Trimble and Twitch were born around Feb 1, 2019. They were found along with their mother and 6 siblings in an abandoned home. They were rescued and taken to the vet.  At that time we were only around two weeks old.  

At around 3 weeks old, we noticed that two of the puppies shook and something was not quite right with them. Our furever mom, Christie, works with a lot of itty bitty puppies so Traci (our rescue mom) called her.

Trimble and Twitch were taken to a vet and diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia (see below for description). We knew this would make us virtually unadoptable or at the very least very hard to find a home that would commit to two special needs dogs. We would require lots of special care and Trimble was unable to walk. This means that he needs someone with him 24 hours a day for just basic care like toileting, eating, and drinking. So, it was decided that we would be adopted by our furever mom.

That is where our journey starts. We are unstoppable little pups with the spirit to conquer everything in our path.

We are growing and learning how to do all the things that other dogs do.  We are not in any pain and basically we are just like other dogs except we wiggle...A LOT!  

Twitch is less affected and can walk and run albeit in an interesting way.  He uses the rocking horse method to get around.  He is learning commands and is doing great.

Trimble is more affected by his CH and he also has seizures.  He takes medicine for this and they are well controlled although he does still occasionally have one.  He uses a quad cart and undergoes daily therapy to help him walk.  He is making progress by leaps and bounds.  He is also learning commands that he is physically able to do like "high five". 

All in all, they are happy, healthy, spirited little puppers celebrating the best life.  The love spreading love and positivity through their message of Be Intentional.  We couldn't be more proud of what they have accomplished and all they have inspired.

Update 2020/2021

Trimble has graduated from his wheelchair and continues to make progress by leaps and bounds- literally!  

In January of 2021, after months of searching for answers Twitch crossed the Rainbow Bridge due to a brain tumor.  We will never forget how he enriched our lives with his goofy, never give up spirit.  Trimble mourns his brother deeply every day.  You can see it in his eyes. 

Over the years, we have had others join our family as fosters and move on to their furever families.  We love to see them come and we also love to see them go.  This is how rescue works. 

Please follow our socials on facebook, instagram, twitter, and youtube to learn more about what you learn from special needs dogs. 

On April Fool’s Day (so appropriate for our family) our son, Killian was born.  A momentous occasion that brought so much joy and a whole new dynamic to our lives.  He is an amazing boy that adds the final touch to our family of 4 daughters.  Soon after he was born, we noticed that a few thing were “different”. Not so much in a bad way, but just in a different way.  He had a heart problem (ASD) that corrected itself, and then he was diagnosed with Spasmus Nutans (a neurological disorder).  This usually corrects itself but it comes with a host of other possible issues.  In February of 2023, Killian was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.  We knew about 6 months before this but his official diagnosis didn’t come until February.  He has already started therapies including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and will soon start speech.  He is mostly non verbal currently but we hope to change that.  

As most things evolve and as parents do, we began to focus on doing everything for our child and children.  The rescue now focuses on fundraising for our rescue friends and the community that may need help.  We are also going to help fundraise and provide for children with disabilities find emotional support animals and service (task trained) dogs.  Dogs can be a bridge to the world for kids with disabilities.  

Enter Link!! Link is our golden doodle who is currently in training to become Killian’s service dog.  We noticed early on that Killian would do more when he was around Trimble like walk on the grass and meet the neighbor.  So this will be an adventure for our family. 

Cerebellar hypoplasia is a condition in which parts of the cerebellum have not completely developed. The cerebellum makes up a large part of the brain, lying under the cerebrum and toward the back, above and behind the brainstem. This condition can occur due to intrinsic (genetic) causes, or to extrinsic causes like infections, toxins or nutritional deficiencies. Symptoms become visible when the puppies begin to stand and walk, around six weeks of age. Cerebellar hypoplasia is hereditary in Airedales, Chow Chows, Boston Terriers, and Bull Terrier breeds.

You will need to give a thorough history of your dog's health, including a background history of symptoms, and possible incidents that might have precipitated this condition. If you can provide any information on your dog's birth, or on the condition of the mother, it may help your veterinarian to pinpoint the cause of the defect. Your veterinarian will conduct a complete physical exam with a blood chemical profile, a complete blood count, an electrolyte panel and a urinalysis. A neurological work up including an MRI will provide a definitive diagnosis most times.

Animals affected with cerebellar hypoplasia show signs at birth or shortly thereafter. Puppies may show a slow progression of signs over weeks to months. After postnatal onset of signs of cerebellar hypoplasia, these patients should not show any further progression of signs. Age, breed, history and typical non-progressive symptoms are usually sufficient for tentative diagnosis.