(FOX 9) - A raccoon named Jimothy is turning heads online for his unusual look, and his story is shining a light on two Minnesota dogs with the same rare condition.
Jimothy’s viral fame connects to Minnesota’s special dogs
What we know:
Jimothy, a raccoon in Seattle, has a rare short-spine condition and millions of people have seen him online.
Two Minnesota families recognized the condition right away because their dogs, Quasi and Cooper, share it.
Quasi, a German shepherd, came to Minnesota from Kentucky 10 years ago. His S-shaped spine and missing vertebrae left veterinarians puzzled.
"I’ve never seen anything like this," said a veterinarian who reviewed Quasi’s x-rays.
Cooper, an American foxhound, arrived from Virginia after Quasi’s story made headlines.
The two dogs live about five miles apart in the Twin Cities Metro and they’ve spent time together.
Their humans, Terri Woolard and Elly Keegan, say their veterinarians now have a better idea how to care for these dogs.
"They are very well versed in Quasi. They know all of his ailments. They have a great team that is very used to him," said Woolard. Keegan added, "We do annual x-rays with his veterinarians just to make sure everything is, you know, we've got our eyes on everything."
Only two or three dozen short-spined dogs are known worldwide, and FOX 9 has followed Quasi and Cooper’s stories for a decade. Both dogs are thriving — Quasi is now 13 and Cooper is almost 10.
Quasi has outlived the average German shepherd lifespan.
"He's been thriving. He runs around and plays obviously a lot less. He is an old man now," said Woolard.
Cooper is still playful and like Quasi, he loves attention from people. "Cooper has never scratched an itch in his life, so I always call myself the VP of itches and scratches," said Keegan.
Their stories have inspired many online
Why you should care:
Quasi and Cooper’s Facebook pages update fans about their everyday lives and help other short-spined dogs find homes.
Their stories have brought attention to the rare condition and show that these animals can live happy, full lives.
Both dogs need special care, like elevated food and water dishes since they cannot bend down easily. They also have some potty challenges and caring for them can be expensive.
Their owners want to make sure Jimothy’s popularity and their dogs’ success do not encourage people to breed animals for this rare condition.
"We're seeing the other side of it where people are like, ‘oh, I want a short spine. Oh, that's so cool’," said Woolard. "So kind of the worry that me and Cooper's mom both have are people going to start trying to breed for short spine dogs, which would be very unfortunate. Quasi is great, Cooper is great. Jimothy is great, but they also come with so many health issues."
"We want to support the animals that are born with this condition, but we do not want to recreate it in any way," said Keegan.
Despite the challenges, both dogs are doing well.
"He surprises us every day because he's very resilient. He's very healthy," said Keegan. "He's been thriving and kind of defying the odds and doing great," said Woolard.
A Purdue University study is looking into the genetics of short-spined dogs, and researchers found that Quasi and Cooper may share the same ancient mutation or could even be related despite being of different breeds.
The stories of Quasi and Cooper show the importance of responsible care and highlight the joy these unique animals bring to their families.
What we don't know:
It is not clear how common the short-spine condition is in raccoons or other animals, and there is no information yet on whether Jimothy will be part of any research studies like Quasi and Cooper.