Hello, my name is King

(that's self delegated though if you ask my owner)

As you can see I have an advantage point over all my neighbors
(that's the furry one's I am talking about)

From this vantage point I can keep an eye on all the little whipper snappers that live two doors down

(a job I take very seriously)

From here I can watch the furry foes that live directly behind me

(you can tell she's taking all the fun out of this by making me pose)

Over all though you can see I don't have much of a problem getting around despite my muscular dystrophy. I have Myopathy which is a gentic form of muscular dystrophy found in yellow labs. It's caused by a autososmal trait which causes a degeneration of skeletal muscles. This trait has to be shared by both parents to pass it to their off spring which is more than likely why most people don't see to many cases around. Most puppies born with Myopathy will have mild effects from the disorder which will be seen with a hopping effect when they try to run around. Most outgrow it and will go on to seem like a normal healthy dog, others, like myself, will develop weird abnormalities in their joints. I've been fortunate to be as healthy as I am for some dogs may tire easily, be weak and fatigued, show a decreased endurance, none of which my owner ever complains of while taking me for a walk. She complains more about me dragging her down the street. Sometimes during periods of excitability I will tend to drawl, usually it happens if I get a little to rambunctious during a walk. I can understand her concern, it's not a pretty sight, exercise is crucial, I just need to calm down. It doesn't freak her out quite as much as stepping unsuspectingly into a regurgitated pile of slim which is caused by another symptom call Megaesophagus, that's when muscle in the esophagus fails leaving food and water unable to move from the esophagus into the stomach. She's usually a good chap about it as she limps away uttering mildly under her breath.

I consider myself pretty lucky, after her last dog passed away she wasn't going to get another dog. She spent a year thinking about it, trying to convince herself of a good enough reason to go through the heartbreak again of losing a long time companion. Then she came upon a article about the plight of homeless dogs running the streets of Detroit and decided if she could help another dog again then she would. She was going to check into adopting a dog that lost one of his legs while homeless, when she checked the dog had died the prior weekend in a house fire. She then set off on a journey that took a few months until she ran across me. I didn't just have the Myopathy I also had heart worm, they didn't know how far it had went, there was no guarantee of a cure, many didn't want to take the chance. If she hadn't come along.....well I don't even want to think about that.

This is my entry into @juliank's challenge, I am not a professional and I don't expect to win...just hoping you enjoy my photo stories I do once in awhile.