Derby The Dog Walks Again On 3D Printed Prosthetics: Get Ready To Cry Tears Of Joy [Video]

Derby the dog is an animal who will soften even the hardest of hearts. Once you see what he’s been through, and where he’s at today, thanks to modern technology, you will never forget him.

Adoptive owner Tara Anderson explains that Derby was born with deformed front legs.

“I kept looking at his photo and reading his story, and I cried literally every time. Finally, I messaged… and said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll foster. I’ll take care of him.’ I had to try and help this dog.”

Tara got Derby the dog a cart, which she said “worked quite well,” but it limited his mobility “in terms of being able to play with other dogs.”

“It’s not really the full motion of running,” she said of the first “attempt” to bring full mobility to Derby’s life.

That’s when Tara and Company turned to 3D printed materials. Breaking from the traditional “running man” style of most prosthetics, Tara started Derby on a low loop setting and gradually got the dog used to a broader range of movement. The design also ensured that he didn’t end up “digging his legs into the dirt,” she said.

For the full transformation, I’ll just let the video do the rest of the talking for me. Not that I can do much talking at all after watching these three minutes of sheer joy.

If anyone deserves this, it’s Derby the dog and Tara Anderson, an owner who could have looked the other way and gone home with a healthier dog. But she saw something in Derby’s spirit that told her he was too special to give up on, and I’m glad she did. I think you will be, too.

Not surprisingly, this video has seen more than 300,000 views in just two days time after being uploaded on December 15 by 3D Systems. It quickly shot up to the top of Reddit’s page one with many users sharing comments with the same reaction that I, and I’m sure you, are now experiencing.

“THIS is the best. So happy to see people who care this much about their pets. They are as much a family member as a human baby.”

“Feels! I’m always amazed at the resilience of a dogs joy. Just the other day I saw a sweet two year old tripod that was keeping up with all the able bodied dogs, and it was as if there was no difference at all between them. It would be nice if people could be so accepting on such a wide scale.”

“I want to hug him so bad.”

What did you think of Derby the dog and his incredible journey? Share your thoughts in our comments section.