In August of 2020, our family knew it was time to open our hearts once more to a little love bug, one whom we grew to know as Inigo. Much like his namesake (Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride), Inigo was full of fierce heart, love, and loyalty. We were told he was 10 years old when we went to meet him at the shelter, and that there was “some stuff with his back.” We were given the option to decline the meet-and-greet, as it would be harder to say no after seeing him, and he was going to need special interventions and accommodations. While we were not novice rescue dog parents, we had no idea what health concerns were to come. We agreed to meet “Harry Styles” (at the time), and with loving eyes & glamorous eyebrows, he peed on us— we just knew he was the one.

Inigo was diagnosed with IVDD, and severe arthritis. This made him walk with an arched back, and significant atrophy in his two back legs. Within the first month of our adoption, Inigo experienced his first (of three) bout of vestibular disease / “old-dog disease.” The lingering effects of this resulted in a permanent head tilt, and difficulty maintaining balance. 

Inigo made up for these obstacles with grace. He welcomed rugs and snuffle mats to combat dreaded hard-wood floors, and simply enjoyed the slow-living lifestyle. We took time to smell ALL the roses. In fact, when experiencing the zoomies, Inigo figured out how to bunny-hop 🙂 These hops brought so much joy; while his spirit was not deterred by these obstacles, his body eventually began to catch up. Inigo had a harder time moving around, didn’t bunny-hop as much, and appeared to whine in pain unpredictably. Inigo also was then diagnosed with sundowners, or dementia. Medication, while critical & fantastic, only helped so much. 

It was in February of 2022 that we learned of Augusta K9 Trails, and boy we are so thankful we did! Inigo was partnered with Amanda for rehabilitative swim lessons, and the impact we witnessed from the sessions were astounding. Now yes, his favorite part of the sessions were the heat massages & running into his parents arms with a warm towel afterwards— not the actual swimming. However, when we would return home— what a difference! Our Inigo was hopping again, sleeping more soundly, and having much higher energy levels than previously observed. His muscle and leg motor use improved, and so we transitioned to swims to help pain management and quality of life. Inigo was the best big brother, as he stood by in support through Gretzky’s radiation cancer treatment this past 2022. 

We cannot thank Amanda enough for the impact she’s had on Inigo’s life, which gracefully ended (due to a separate health issue) in October of 2022– right at the end of his own brother’s treatment. Amanda stood by our side as we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to our sweet Inigo, and even said goodbye to Inigo herself. Our gratitude to Augusta K9Trails is endless, and we look forward to passing on this opportunity to other rescue pups who could benefit from swimming rehabilitative services. We will always miss watching Inigo swim, and more importantly, miss the pep in his step that he had afterwards.  – Jordan, Landon, Gretzky , and Princess Buttercup