I saw Bueller on the news.
- When he looked into the camera, it is him looking at us.
That kind of sealed the deal.
Bueller was abandoned by a breeder and dropped off in a box to the SPCA.
He was in really bad shape.
The first time we examined Bueller we were very concerned,
because he couldn't walk at all.
It's an issue that breeders breed a dog that has a congenital defect.
And so they relinquish it to a shelter.
We're very even-keeled people. But when you see Bueller's face at six weeks old
and the only option the breeder offered to the SPCA
was he was gonna put him down,
that is probably the most heartbreaking thing you could ever hear.
We could right away see he wanted to live.
We agreed, okay, it might be a lot of work but let's give it a try.
We tried water therapy.
It allows their legs to be moving in a more natural position,
because he's not having to hold his weight up.
We're trying a bunch of different things.
Bueller has this determination to get what he wants.
He took all these trials and tribulations in stride.
He's just a trusting soul at heart.
-There we go!
The first time he could even hold his weight up with his feet under him,
that was a big milestone.
That's where we saw that, okay, here's the first step toward success.
The first time we saw him actually walking, all of us were just about in tears.
That was pretty awesome. Yeah.
'Cause, you know, you never know. You're never quite sure we're gonna get there.
♫
It was like, he is gonna have a good life.
We had just lost our dog a few months prior.
Not having noise, breathing and snoring, and nails on the floor.
Not having that was deafening. It was too quiet.
We just weren't sure if we were gonna ever get another dog,
because of the feeling on the final days.
But then we thought to ourselves, for the nine years before that,
how much happiness he brought to our lives.
- It was something we really had to think about.
But we wanted to be a part of Bueller's journey
and wanted him to be a part of our family.
I couldn't sleep the night before.
I was kind of like a kid on Christmas.
Like, you know the next day is gonna be one of the best days.
They put him in my lap. And I think he was nervous like me.
The staff, the doctors, vet techs,
everybody who was involved in Bueller's recovery,
they all said their goodbyes in the hopes they would see him again.
We were all very, very proud of the work we did for him.
Here was a family who was gonna love him to death just as he is.
It's like taking a child home from the hospital in the first days.
He's your kid, and you can do nothing but smile.
He was a little, maybe, timid on the first couple days.
But after that, it was off to the races.
- The first place we really took him was the beach.
He didn't know what to do about the water, but he loved the sand.
His first time seeing the ocean. He loved it.
He still had some trouble walking.
He was very, very willing to work on himself.
We would train him with a ball, strengthening his muscles.
- Is that your ball? Your ball?
We saw a difference within the first few months of getting him.
You could see Bueller becoming a more confident dog.
He knew that there are things he could do now.
And he could run more, he could go to the dog park more.
Bueller's such a strong fighter, and never once gave up on that.
[whistling]
- Come on. Breakfast?
We've had him for two years now.
Every morning, Bueller will steal Kobe's food if there's any morsel left.
Kobe doesn't real mind, either.
We call Kobe "Shadow." Everywhere Bueller goes, Kobe shadows.
He feels safe with Bueller.
Bueller's always happy. He loves going on walks, going to the dog park.
He loves to go to the pet store.
He loves car rides. He loves people. He loves food.
First and foremost, he loves food. - Loves food.
- He definitely has a favorite toy.
He has a glow-in-the-dark green ball.
It's a part of him. It's like his baby.
It really helps with training, and keeping his muscles strong.
He's always pushed himself. And he's kind of
a little force to be reckoned with.
Sure, he'll take a nap along the way here and there.
But he's full of life.
- You done for the day? Come on.
We are going right now to the Sacramento SPCA,
where we were fortunate enough to adopt Bueller.
Now we're gonna go back to show our support, and bring toys.
They gave to Bueller, so now he's giving back.
- These? [Laughter]
We want to have surgery on his back right leg.
His leg isn't as strong as it should be.
- That's a definite. That one might have
to be for you, for your surgery.
Seeing everybody is just gonna energize him for his surgery
coming up in a couple weeks.
♫
- Go on! - Come on. Come on. - Let's go.
♫
- Remember it?
- Bueller?
Look at you go, honey! I'm so happy to see you.
Look at you walking, like a big boy. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. [laughter]
You want to meet Furiosa?
- So cute. Her leg looks like yours used to.
- She was found by a good Samaritan, hanging from a chained link fence.
We saw that same spark of life, this will to live in her.
Bueller's an inspiration to us, to keep going.
To try things we haven't done before, to help animals that
we might have otherwise given up on.
We say, "Remember Bueller? We did it before, we can do it again."
"This one's just a little bit harder. Let's push a little bit."
"Let's push the envelope, see what we can accomplish."
He's looking at him like, "You made it?"
"It was worth it?"
They have this will to live. They have this -- you know, joie de vivre.
That gives us the will and the energy to keep going.
[laughter]
- Wanna tell 'em what you brought? - Oooh.
- Is that for her? - Ooh, thank you. - And this one.
- So, are your favorite ones? Oh, those are for the --
- Oh, okay. - Yep. Yep. [laughter]
- Want to taste them first? [laughter]
Well, thank you for coming, Bueller. Oh. [Laughter]
It's so delightful to see him enjoying his life, knowing how far he's come.
- This is where people brought Bueller treats and toys
and food just to help him out.
So now we get to give back along with Bueller.
Hopefully one day people like myself will just see the potential
in these great dogs that are there.
And it'll bring such a happiness to whoever needs that extra
little bit of love in their house.
The staff, their time, patience and love
is what brought Bueller back and walking.
Big day.
You got this, big guy.
We are going to go pick up Bueller after a successful surgery.
So we are extremely excited to go see him.
- Hi, B. Hi.
Say hi, everybody. Speaking of high.
Yeah. [laughter]
- We're good. We're real good. - We're doing good.
Bueller did so great during the entire surgery.
- After the surgery, he didn't sleep very well.
And so Alex and Bueller and Kobe camped on the couch.
- Bueller can not fall asleep without his head on my chest.
- He's recovering nicely. He loves his octopus.
He's getting his strength back.
- There is nothing that's gonna stand in his way.
From the beginning, he's worked so hard. So hard.
And it does pay off.
- He really does live his life to the absolute fullest.
- You cannot have a bad day with him touching your life.
♫