About Dottie

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Since beginning a "just for fun" Instagram page on 30th March 2020, Dottie has amassed a loving community of international supporters who enjoy following her medical journey and updates. Dottie is a great example of how well disabled pets can adapt and live well despite their limitations or medical conditions. 

Dottie is a sassy 1.9kg, 4 year old pedigree  Griffon Bruxellois with a huge personality. Dot is the size of a 3 month old Griffon puppy, approx. 16cm high and 26cm long from her head to the base of her tail. 

Despite her tiny size, Dottie's personality can be described as larger than life! Dottie is funny, loving, clever, demanding, independant and very quirky. She is one of a kind - in more ways than one!

Since being adopted in 2019, Dottie has been living in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her two human parents, Alex and Casey. In 2021, they also adopted Dottie's biological, average-sized Griffon mum (Emily, 9)  after her breeder was no longer interested in showing or breeding from her. Dottie and Em now live happily with their three Chihuahua "siblings" (Pepper, 7, Spencer, 7 and Alice, 4). 

Both Emily and Dottie's biological Griffon father "Lupin" are average sized Griffons. When Dottie was born, she was one of three puppies. Sadly, a smaller boy passed away within his few weeks of life. But Dottie has a litter-sister named Brenda who is average sized and was later fostered and adopted out via New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue. 

Dottie's humans also run a registered charity in New Zealand dedicated to helping toy breed dogs. Dottie serves as an ambassador for rescue  and the New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue Trust. Dot has gained a little global following of people who love watching her  videos, photos, and stories. Dottie, a special needs dog, is a shining  example of how disabled dogs can still thrive and find joy in life! 

Initially, vets advised Dottie's family that she would "be lucky to reach one year old" due to her complex medical conditions.  But almost 5 years on, she's thriving. Dottie has been described as a "beacon of hope" and her supporters often comment on how her social media updates provide them with a well-needed boost of  serotonin! Please take a look around this website to learn more about Dottie and/or her medical journey. 

Medical Conditions:

Although she leads a wonderful life, Dottie has been diagnosed with the following:

• “Extreme” Dwarfism (Achondroplasia type, diagnosed in 2020)
• Two luxating patellas (affects the knees)
• Hip dysplasia
• Chiari-like malformation (“CM”) . But no Syringiomyelia (“SM”) as yet, confirmed by MRI May 2022.
• Shortened ulna syndrome (affects her forearms)
• Incongruent elbows (ie. they don’t align properly - she had surgery for this in 2020).
• Carpal vulgus (which affects the “wrists".
• Scoliosis (a curved spine)
• Her pelvis hasn’t formed correctly (some of it is made of cartilage not bone) and it’s not fused together, so essentially always broken.
• Ectopic cilia in the left eye (Dottie had surgery to remove this in November 2021)
• Ventriculomegaly (a condition in which the ventricles - fluid-filled spaces in the brain, are larger than usual);
• Intracranial arachnoid cyst (IAC), also called intracranial intra-arachnoid cyst and quadrigeminal cyst (”Brain Cyst”) developmental brain disorder in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is thought to accumulate within a split of the arachnoid membrane.
• The most significant concern for Dottie is an issue with her spinal cord - An abnormal growth in her skull  Dorsal compression at the AA joint ("AA-band") The growth could be bone or tissue and essentially is compressing her spinal cord.  From the 2023 report, "Atlanto-axial band is a condition  resulting in compression of the spinal cord between C1-C2 caused by hypertrophy ("overgrowth") of a normal ligament of the atlantoaxial (C1-C2) joint or in some cases due to abnormal bone orientation. In Dottie, it is likely the result of the abnormal shape and rotation of C1. Instability at C1-C2 may also be present, however not definitive in the provided study. The bone of the dorsal lamina ("roof") of the first cervical bone is rotated and creating this indentation. There is often a soft tissue/ligament component that also participates in creating this compression."

To learn more about Dottie and the most commonly asked questions about her life or medical journey, please click the Q&A below!