An irrepressible French bulldog surrendered to an animal sanctuary for being paralyzed has wheeled her way into the hearts of her adopters.

When Birdie landed at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, in February, she’d jumped off a couch and injured a disc in her spine. While early surgical intervention in cases of intervertebral disc disease has the potential for repair, it can be very expensive and recovery can be intense, so her owners opted for cage rest and steroids to see if she’d improve, according to Judah Battista, chief sanctuary officer for Best Friends Animal Society.

“She didn’t recover — but didn’t change her personality,” he said. “She’s incredibly sweet, incredibly good with other dogs, incredibly friendly with people. But by virtue of her mobility challenges, she needed a lot more attentive care than they felt like they could be doing.”

Birdie wasn’t in pain but essentially had rear end paralysis. The Best Friends team started the little Frenchie on physical therapy to try to ensure ongoing muscle health where it could be maintained. They also fitted her for a custom wheelchair, in which she gradually grew more comfortable.

“She ended up spending the majority of her time at the Dogtown headquarters reception area, and so she got to meet everybody who arrived,” Battista recalled. “She often had another dog spend time with her as well. She had a lot of friends. She has a very compelling personality.”

Birdie Starts A New Chapter

To help more potential adopters see that compelling personality, Best Friends transferred Birdie to its adoption center in Salt Lake City in May. As luck would have it, Mindy Hodges, who lives with her family in a suburb of Salt Lake City , happened to see a social media post about Birdie. Though her family already had two dogs and wasn’t looking to adopt another one, she felt a strong pull to meet the little dog.

“About six years ago, I had a stroke and had to learn to walk and talk and things again,” she said. “I was in a wheelchair for quite a while. And I’m so lucky no one gave up on me. My family stuck through it. And someone needed to do that for Birdie.”

When Hodges told her husband, Adam, that she’d made an appointment to meet Birdie, he wasn’t thrilled. He thought they should wait to adopt another dog after they lost their senior German shepherd, Lucky, since their 250-lb. Gladiator Dane, Legend, would need a new canine companion then.

Their teenage daughter, Ella, was decidedly more enthusiastic and went with her mom to meet Birdie, who made an indelible first impression as she rolled into the room.

“You know how some people have a big presence when they walk into the room? She has that,” Mindy Hodges recalled. “Everybody in there was turning and just gawking at her, loving her, and she ate it up.”

Hodges walked over to Birdie and the dog came running over in her wheelchair and “went crazy” with excitement, kissing the mother and daughter who were already falling in love with her.

“I just felt this bond with her,” she said, breaking into tears at the memory. “And I knew I couldn’t leave her there. I just knew she was meant to come home with us.”

It only took a day or two for Birdie to win over Adam Hodges, just as the upbeat dog seems to charm everyone she meets with her enormous smile and spirited greetings. The French bulldog has become a bit of a celebrity at local shops, where she dances excitedly on her front paws when she meets new and old friends. She also greets Hodges with a happy dance every morning.

“She does everything with her whole heart,” she said. “She finds joy in everything.”

That includes car rides — one of her favorite activities — and joining her new family on outdoor adventures. Birdie has been paddleboarding in a little life vest, ridden on dune buggies wearing goggles, and enjoyed “hiking” in a special dog backpack.

“If we can, we take her with us,” she said. “You can’t help but love Birdie.”

The Joy Of Adopting A Special Dog With Special Needs

While the family has made some alterations to their home to better accommodate Birdie, such as building a ramp from the back deck to the grass so that she can go to the bathroom on her own, and buying diapers for her to wear inside, Hodges feels it’s a small price to pay to have such an extraordinary pet.

“It’s not something extra, it’s just what we do,” she said. “We have people thank us for adopting her. And one day my daughter goes, ‘Why are they thanking us? She’s doing as much for us as we are for her.’ And it’s true.”

In fact, the family recently created an Instagram page for Birdie with the handle @birdiefoundhernest to share her bright spirit and love of adventure with others.

Meanwhile, Battista and Birdie’s other fans from her time at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary are delighted she found a family “that loves her like she deserves.” He noted that per Best Friends data , there are over 500,000 dogs and cats available for adoption at animal shelters and rescue organization across America — and hopes Birdie’s story inspires other people to take a “leap of faith” and adopt one.

“When you’re ready for adoption, they’re ready for you,” he said.