He should be paralysed but he keeps on winning awards

Jack DanielsIn March last year Jack-Daniels, a Leaside dog, was diagnosed with spinal disk disease. Every disk in his neck and all but two in his back were calcifying. The usual diagnosis: paralysis.

This month Jack-Daniels will be competing in Orlando, Florida for the first-ever American Kennel Club Obedience Classic.

The difference? His owner Alison Smith, of Aerodrome Blvd., a dog trainer and part owner of a dog training centre, Personal Paws in Scarborough, recognized there was a serious problem when he started limping for an unknown reason.

After an X-ray, an $11,000 operation paid by insurance that cleaned out all the calcification, and four months of being carried around, Jack-Daniels was cured.

He was 2 ½ years old when he became ill, had already been in training and was a winner in his first competition at 14 months old.

Five months post-surgery Jack-Daniels was back in competition, passing all tests and winning awards. He will be competing in the novice class.

His name? He’s a cross between a Jack Russell and a Corgi and was born just a few miles down the road from the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.