13-year-old with rare muscle disorder learns to walk, bike, swim because of her dog [Video]

• Bella Burton, 13, has Morquio syndrome which makes her muscles very weak, restricting her to move around.
• But when George, a Great Dane, came into her life, things changed for her.
• The pup gave the young girl’s mobility back, while becoming her trusted companion and cuddle buddy!

This is Bella Burton, 13, and her rare genetic Morquio syndrome, which makes the muscles waste away, restricted her to enjoy what normal teenagers do, until George came into her life.

George is a four-year-old Great Dane, a trusted companion of Bella, who helped her get her mobility back.

Before George, Bella’s leg muscles were quickly deteriorating. But when George came, he seemed to exactly know what her owner needs and he gave that exactly.

After six months of being with the pup, Bella’s legs became strong enough to hold her own weight.

Now, the 13-year-old could walk without crutches, and can even ride a bike and swim — all because of George.

“A lot of kids by 13 with Morquio are confined to wheelchairs already.” Bella’s mother, Rachel Burton from Massachusetts, said.

Rachel added that her daughter can now even walk around without George! She can even walk up and down the stairs without a lot of help.

“George retrained me to walk,” Bella said. “I wasn’t going to give up, and he knew that, so he helped me make sure I wasn’t going to.”

She also said that her dog is “very protective” of her.

“Even if we’re playing, he’ll always watch me because he doesn’t want anything to happen,” Bella said. “I knew I was safe, no matter what.”

She added, “I’m positive that people don’t bump into me when I have George, ‘cause if they bumped into me, I could fall, and then I could get hurt. And that’s not fun.”

Besides being a working dog — which made the pup win the American Kennel Club’s Award for Canine Excellence — George has also become Bella’s trusted companion and cuddle buddy.

“When he’s working, he’s always focused on his job,” Bella pointed out. “But then, as soon as you take off his vest, he runs around, and he plays a lot, but after like an hour, he lays down and goes to sleep.”

“Everyone thinks Great Danes are really energetic because they’re big, but honestly, they’re couch potatoes,” she added.

George pretty knows how to balance work and life, and we admire him more for that.

Source: Inside Edition