Special Needs Labrador Trying So Hard to Make Friends at the Dog Park Has People Crying
This is so heartbreaking. Dogs are such social creatures, but sadly not every pup makes friends. One dog owner was crushed when they noticed that their dog with special needs hadn't made a single pal at the dog park. And watching the dog try so hard to woo other pups is so sad.
Maddie is a good girl, but she was born with a brain stem injury which has given her some motor issues.
The complication means that Maddie's back and front legs don't communicate with each other. But besides that the Labrador Retriever's a happy and healthy girl!
Related: Special Needs Bull Terrier Who 'No One Wants' Is Breaking Hearts Left and Right
It's why we can't understand why Maddie was all by herself at the park. The video that her owner shared shows Maddie-girl trying so hard to connect to the other dogs there that day. She went from pup to pup just hoping that one of them would see her and want to play. But alas, no one came over to play with Maddie.
"POV: other dogs ignore your special needs dog so she just prances around looking for friends," the text overlay reads.
Someone play with this good girl — STAT. "But she's smiling the whole time!" her parents joked in the caption.
The comments section was distraught. "I need to see her playing with other dogs or I’m not gonna sleep tonight," one person wrote. "In my head she’s the party host and she’s having an awesome time going around making sure everybody is having fun and being good," teased someone else. "If I were a dog I’d be friends with your dog just sayin,'" vowed another commenter. "Me yelling at other dogs: PLAY WITH MY DOG now," joked one person.
How to Help Your Dog Make Friends
Like we said, dogs are social creatures. They need and want to connect to others. It's important for them to be socialized! But you do want to set your pup up for success if you're headed to the dog park to make pals.
Before heading out on a Saturday morning (i.e., when the park is bound to be at its peak capacity), try going during off-peak hours where there will be less dogs around and your dog can explore at their own pace. When you do arrive, be mindful of the other dogs. Dogs can be threatened when a new pup enters the park, so always be careful about how you enter and exit.
Do a quick assessment of the other dogs before entering. Do you like how they're playing? Does your dog know any of them? Does it seem like they're interested in joining in? It may not seem like it, but these are good ways to ensure a win for your pup. They need to find other dogs that are their same wavelength.
A second video from Maddie shows the pup having a bit more success on a second trip.
This time she made friends! Go Maddie! We knew you had it in you. You just needed the right pals to see how special you are.
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