Today we have one very special reason to celebrate National Specially-abled Pets Day. His name is Mighty Max.

We rescued Mighty Max, his two siblings, B.B. and Lil Sammi, and his mom, Misha, from a local shelter in February when the pups were just three weeks old.

Mighty Max was significantly smaller than his siblings and had trouble getting around. He could not hold his head still, so nursing was difficult. After a visit to the vet, Max was diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), a developmental disorder affiliated with an underdeveloped cerebellum in the brain. The cause of Max’s condition isn’t certain, but it could have been the result of malnutrition in utero or a viral infection. CH causes dogs to have tremors, jerky movements, and generally lack coordination. Dogs do not outgrow CH. However, most dogs —being the amazing creatures that they are—find ways to adapt as they grow.

And so it was with Mighty Max. We quickly learned that Max is a fighter. He seems to know that no challenge is too great for him to overcome. He was weaned from his mother at six weeks old. He learned to eat on his own and had a voracious appetite for a little man.

With each day that passed, Mighty Max continued to thrive. He put on weight and began to hold up his head upright. Before we knew it, Max was able to hold his body up too. In the past few weeks, Max has started to get around on all fours. Click here to watch a video of Mighty Max learning to do the bunny hop just in time for Easter. Now 13 weeks old and 12 pounds, Max spends his days wrestling with Mucci, his foster brother.

Mighty Max is incredibly lucky to have so many supporters in his corner, including his foster mom, Brittany, a vet tech and specializes in pets with disabilities, and those who have donated toward his care. On behalf of Mighty Max, we thank you for cheering him along and look forward to sharing more good news about his progress soon.