I watched this year’s Puppy Bowl with my dog Lola snoring beside me, and one Aussie puppy in a wheelchair absolutely stole the field. Her name was Teigan, and you could see pure joy in every zoom down the turf in her cart.
Teigan, who played for Team Fluff, came from Perfect Imperfections Dog Rescue in Connecticut. She was born with neurological challenges and a curved spine, and she’d already beaten pneumonia once before the Puppy Bowl cameras ever showed up. With help from K9 Karts, she got that bright blue wheelchair, and when she rolled onto the field, she became the star of every replay.
What undid me is knowing Teigan died three months before Puppy Bowl XXII aired, after another bout of pneumonia. Her rescue called seeing her on screen “bittersweet,” and that feels exactly right: she’s gone, but millions of people are meeting her for the first time and falling for a dog whose body never limited her spirit.
This year’s Puppy Bowl featured a record number of specially abled dogs, from wheelchair users to pups who are deaf or visually impaired. It’s more than cute TV; it’s a reminder that every kind of body deserves a chance to be chosen.
I keep thinking about my own late rescue dog, Emmie, who also used wheels after she lost the use of her legs. Caring for her was tender and hard all at once. Watching Teigan barrel down that tiny field felt like a love letter to dogs like her. Lola would probably bark at the screen and then trot off with one of Emmie’s old toys, completely unaware of how perfectly she is helping my heart heal.
Why “Perfectly Imperfect” Dogs Matter
Teigan’s story is bigger than one game. At a time when U.S. shelters take in roughly 5.8 million animals a year and still see hundreds of thousands euthanized, dogs with medical or mobility needs are often the last chosen and the first at risk. Yet they’re also the ones who can turn a home into a classroom in courage and joy.
If Teigan has you crying in the best way, let that feeling move your feet. Maybe it looks like fostering a senior or special-needs pup, or finally adopting the dog you keep visiting online. The ASPCA’s shelter resources and guidance on how to help—through adopting, fostering, volunteering, or donating—are a helpful starting point if your heart is ready but your brain is nervous. Or maybe it’s supporting rescues that focus on animals who need extra help to get their second chance.
Teigan didn’t live long enough to see herself trend, but she did something bigger: she showed the world that rolling, wobbling, “different” dogs belong center stage. The rest of us just have to decide what we’re going to do with the way she made us feel.
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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.