Small dog’s big joy leads her home

From the moment Birdie arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, she had a way of winning people over. The staff adored her — the tiny French bulldog with the big personality, the bright eyes, and the joyful little snorts that made every day better. She greeted everyone like a friend.

Alongside all that charm, Birdie also came with a handful of medical challenges. She needed time, care, and a team ready to help her learn a new way of moving through the world. And at the Sanctuary, that’s just what she would get.

Birdie has a spinal condition common in French bulldogs that makes her unable to walk on her own. She also can’t always control where and when she goes to the bathroom.

So the team got to work fitting her with a custom wheelchair. It wasn’t instant confidence, but once she got the hang of it, she was off rolling around with the same enthusiasm she brought to everything else.

Big love for little dog with wheels

As much as everyone loved having her there, the Sanctuary team wanted Birdie to benefit from being somewhere with more potential adopters. So she made the trip to the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Salt Lake City, wheels and all. It didn’t take long at all for those adopters to come around.

One day, Mindy Hodges was browsing adoptable pets online, saw Birdie’s face, and felt an immediate pull. “The moment I saw her, I knew she was special,” she says.

Mindy and her daughter visited the pet adoption center the next week, telling themselves they were “just meeting her.” But Birdie’s sweet, happy personality filled the room, and it quickly became clear she was meant to be part of their lives.

Faces of No-Kill: Dog rolls into her golden years

Today, Birdie is thriving. She loves being taken for walks in her stroller, chasing birds with great enthusiasm (even though she never catches them), cuddling with her people, and especially going for car rides. Her adopter says they’re constantly inspired by the way she approaches every day with joy and curiosity.

Birdie may roll instead of stroll, but she’s a reminder that every pet’s path is unique and that what matters most is finding a place where they can shine.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.