Even though he only has half a spine, Cooper is the ‘happiest dog’ out there

His name is Cooper.

And despite him suffering from a rare condition, he is still in high spirits. Cooper's rare condition is called short spine syndrome which is caused by inbreeding. The two-year-old's vertebrae are fused together and compressed, leading him to have half the body that a normal dog would. However, his owners Elly and Andy Keegan told Fox News that he is still the "happiest dog." Ella told the station: "Many dogs with conditions like Cooper’s are euthanized which makes me so, so sad. "They have so much living to do and Cooper is a real example of that. He has a happy, normal little life now and is a key member of our family.” Cooper was rescued by animal support workers near a suspected puppy farm in Halifax, Virginia in 2017 when he was only two-months-old. The workers believed he was abandoned because of his birth defect, which just breaks our heart. When he was first brought to a vet, he had ear mites, worms, and a hernia. “His condition is caused by inbreeding and it is unconscionable to me that he was just thrown away when the breeders realised he wouldn’t make them money. “Wherever he goes he draws attention but he really revels in it. “He has a lot of fans on Facebook." Images: Cooper