Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 07/05) - Knock on Robbie Summers' door and the scene might break your heart.

Summers' best friend - a two-year-old Shih Tzu dog named Pat - loves to answer the door, but has to drag himself there on the power of his front legs.

Pat was recently paralyzed from the waist down, Even with his back end dragging behind, it is clear that Pat is a friendly dog, and well cared for.

He may even be spoiled. When his disability prevented Pat from joining Summers and his girlfriend Neevec Etooangat in bed, they got rid of the bed.

They put a mat down on the living room floor to sleep on and Pat doesn't miss out on a thing.

Summers and Etooangat have T-shirts with their furry little buddy on the front. They have him on a baloney diet, to help ease his digestive system.

Around a month ago, Pat began to lose control of his back end. Since there is no vet in Nunavut, Summers did the only logical thing for a dog-lover; he got on a plane and flew south.

"We had to pay $2,000 for airfare and another $400 for the vet," explained Summers. They visited Kingston, Ont., where the veterinarian explained that Pat had a 50 per cent chance or regaining movement in his back half.

The vet also had a surprise for Pat: a little doggie wheelchair. The staff at the clinic were so moved by the little dog that they contacted a friend who donated the $1,000 chair.

They had a dog with a similar problem, and the dog had passed away.

While Pat is fully mobile, he is awkward in the chair. Pat moves a little better in reverse than forward.

The prognosis for Pat is good. He recovered some of the feeling in its tail.

The disability hasn't changed Pat's demeanour.

He still is friendly and was out to enjoy the first snowfall of the year, strapped into the doggie wheelchair.

"A couple of people asked what happened to the dog and a couple of people even laughed. That doesn't bother me a bit," said a defiant Summers.

A little scorn from passersby isn't going to stop him from walking his best friend.

The dog isn't in pain, but does need some special care.

He doesn't always know when his bladder is empty, so Summers has to give him a little squeeze to make sure. The dog also developed a carpet burn from dragging itself around without the chair, but some topical cream has cleared it up.