Owner films disabled dog at park—not ready for what’s captured: “my heart”

A disabled dog enjoying playtime at a local park has melted hearts across the internet.

Nicole Morgan (@nicoleeetaylor), 23, from Salem, Massachusetts, shared a video of her 9-year-old German shepherd, Sasha, who uses a wheelchair, happily playing with a new Husky friend. The clip has garnered 269,700 likes and over 892,000 views on TikTok.

Morgan told Newsweek that she had taken Sasha to the park so she could run in her wheelchair and play with her toys when another woman and her dog arrived.

“We talked to the woman and the dogs were playing alongside each other. the husky was extremely patient and sweet to Sasha. It’s like she knew Sasha is disabled,” Morgan told Newsweek.

She explained that Sasha is a playful, loving, and family-oriented dog who was diagnosed in February 2025 with degenerative myelopathy—a progressive, incurable spinal-cord disease that affects older dogs.

The condition typically begins with weakness in the hind legs and gradually leads to paralysis.

According to the VCA Animal Hospitals, the disease is similar to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in humans and causes degeneration of the white matter of the spinal cord, eventually affecting a dog’s mobility, balance, and coordination.

With no effective treatment, supportive care such as harnesses, physical therapy, and wheelchairs can help maintain quality of life for as long as possible. Morgan said this is why Sasha uses a wheelchair and why her family is focused on making the most of the time she has left.

In the video, Morgan added the text overlay: “Crying bc [because] this baby was so sweet trying to play with my disabled dog.” She captioned the post, “My heart.”

TikTokers were quick to share their own emotional stories about compassionate dogs.

“My older dog went to the dog park and calmly walked up to another dog and the guy started crying and said ‘nobody has wanted to play with her for years because she’s blind’ they played for over an hour,” shared Sara.

“It’s always a husky too. They are the most inclusive breed EVER,” said another user.

“It would be a husky, truly the sweetest dogs on the planet,” wrote K.

“All I do is cry in this app,” said another commenter.

“When I found out that some dogs have a hard time making dog friends, my heart broke bc same, it’s hard to make friends,” one viewer added.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.