Working in animal rescue can be heartbreaking. You never know what kind of tough situations you're going to encounter. Despite that, it's incredibly rewarding work. When a dog goes from being near lifeless to thriving, all the pain and work from the job becomes worth it.

When rescuers with Animal Aid Unlimited in India received a call about a dog lying in a sewage drain, they knew they had to act fast.

Photo: YouTube/Animal Aid Unlimited, India

They shared about the rescue on YouTube, saying that they found the dog "forlorn and worried, sitting perfectly still as the cold sewage water rushed past him."

When the rescuers lifted him from the drain, they didn't see any visible injuries. But it wasn't long before they noticed that the dog, who they named Hopper, was unable to stand on his hind legs.

Photo: YouTube/Animal Aid Unlimited, India

They said, "We hurried him back to Animal Aid so that our team could determine what was wrong. We found that his hind legs were not responding when we checked for sensation by pinching his toes with a forcep. He was also not able to stand on his hind legs and had no proprioception, indicating spinal injury."

Spinal injuries in dogs can be incredibly difficult to treat. Every so often, though, there's a miracle story of a dog recovering and relearning to walk.

Photo: YouTube/Animal Aid Unlimited, India

The rescue shared, "Spinal injuries have different rates of recovery depending on the severity, and we were honestly worried by the lack of sensation in his toes. But we gave him a chance and began his bedrest and physical therapy in hopes that the sensation and movement would come back to his legs."

It took weeks of daily work and therapy before Hopper could stand. But in the end, the dog surprised everyone!

Not only did he relearn how to stand on his legs, but he learned how to run and play!

Photo: YouTube/Animal Aid Unlimited, India

His hind legs still have some paralysis, so Animal Aid Unlimited decided to offer him a permanent home with them, where he's free to be a dog without the worries of life on the streets.

You can see his incredible rescue and recovery in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh0uBAQigpc

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