Meet Rexi: SoCal family refuses to put down happy dog with deformed legs

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (KABC) -- A Victorville family noticed something was different about a golden retriever named Rexi when she was about 10 weeks old.

"She was limping, so I took her to the vet thinking that she sprained her leg or something and got X-rays, completely normal," Rachael Woertink, Rexi's owner said.

But Rexi wasn't normal, as her family soon learned.

She was special.

Soon after that trip to the veterinarian Rexi lost complete strength in her front legs.

Her family said the veterinarian then diagnosed her with a neurological problem.

Rexi's front legs do not function and they extend upward past her head.

"Even one of the vets said, 'Maybe you should think about putting her down.' She is like family to us you know. We don't have any kids so this is kind of like our kid right here and we treat her like that," James Cassity, Rexi's owner said.

Rexi, now 1 year old, has gotten around by pushing her body with her back legs and her chest scraping along the ground as she tries to balance.

Her family bought Rexi a vest and even dog wheelchair, but that hasn't worked for Rexi as anticipated.

"When she hits a rock the thing flips over upside down, she has flipped once or twice and we don't want to injure her anymore," Cassity explained.

Rexi's family is searching for a solution to her condition, rather than a temporarily fix.

"Any kind of invention, somebody who knows something about dogs missing their front legs or handicapped, maybe some kind of doctor who knows about a surgery," Cassity said.

In the meantime, Rexi continues to grow and play like any other golden retriever.

"It wasn't her fault she was born that way, so just trying to find something to fix her," Cassity said.

If you'd like to help Rexi, her family has set up a GoFundMe page. Click here to learn more.