Anderson Pooper rounds the bases

Published 1:30 am Sunday, July 22, 2018

Don’t pity Anderson Pooper.

She’s a happy dog, even though her hind legs don’t work.

Look for Pooper rounding the bases at the Everett Aquasox game Tuesday in front of about 3,000 fans during Bark in the Park night at Everett Memorial Stadium. Even though the 12-year-old dachshund uses a wheelchair, she’ll be just as eager to reach home plate as her furry companions.

Her fans love her for it — and Pooper loves the attention.

The paralyzed dog from Mountlake Terrace is practically a celebrity: Pooper’s been featured on ESPN’s SportCenter’s top 10 plays, gone viral on YouTube and even received a shout-out from her human name-twin: CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Followers on her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts regularly check in on what she’s up to.

A fan even made a sign saying “GO! Anderson Pooper” for when she raced against other wiener dogs July 8 at Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn.

“That sign was pretty special because it was unexpected,” said Dave Sizer, who owns Pooper with his wife, Brenda.

Pooper was 3 when discs in her vertebrae deteriorated. The condition, known as intervertebral disc disease, affects about 25 percent of dachshunds.

The Sizers adopted her when she was 6. Brenda was running a nonprofit, Animals with Disabilities, and regularly visited different animal shelters to improve the living conditions for dogs with special needs.

Pooper’s previous owners weren’t able to take care of her, so they handed her off to one of the shelters Brenda worked with. The Sizers were quite fond of her.

“We just kind of fell in love with her,” Dave Sizer said.

They bought her a custom-made wheelchair from Eddie’s Wheelchairs in Massachusetts, which increased her mobility and balance. It cost about $300.

Dave Sizer is happy to tell folks that Pooper leads an active life — especially when they pity her.

“People say, ‘Oh, you poor thing,’ ” he said. “We want to change that mindset. Don’t feel sorry for her. She doesn’t know any different. They don’t have that self-pity thing that humans do. We’re able to let them know she does great.”

Pooper will be one of about 200 dogs at Tuesday night’s game. She will be hard to miss.

She wears specially designed costumes made by Brenda, depending on the occasion. At 2017’s Bark in the Park in Everett, she wore one of the Aquasox’s throwback jerseys. Instead of “Frogs” stitched across the uniform — the team’s mascot is Webbly, a frog — Brenda stitched “Dogs.”

Pooper wears hats to match her costumes; disco balls adorn her wheels.

Danny Tetzlaff, general manager of the Everett Aquasox, remembers her.

“She scoots around the bases pretty well,” Tetzlaff said. “It’s pretty unique.”

Pooper’s rise to fame started after Dave posted a YouTube video of her racing at Emerald Downs four years ago.

While several of the dogs wandered aimlessly after being released from the starting gate, Pooper did a B-line for Brenda, who was waiting at the finish line.

The crowd went nuts, Dave said, and so did the internet.

“It went viral,” he said. “It was on Deadspin, Fox Sports, People Magazine. I was doing interviews from England.”

After he posted a video of Pooper crossing home plate at Safeco Field, ESPN also took notice. Pooper was on SportsCenter a few hours later — in front of about a half-million viewers.

The exposure has helped increase Pooper’s recognizability. In turn, her presence at public events helps spread the word that disabilities aren’t the end of the road for pets, Dave Sizer said.

“We don’t want to see good dogs put down because they’re getting old or they have some type of disability,” he said. “They have a lot left to offer.”

The Sizers don’t want to push things with Pooper’s health — she was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Other than needing regular insulin shots, it hasn’t held her back too much. But it serves as a reminder that Pooper has a finite amount of activity left in her.

“We won’t drag it out to where she’s not enjoying going out,” Sizer said. “We want to definitely keep her health first and foremost.

“Ultimately, she enjoys going out, she likes the attention.”

Evan Thompson: 360-544-2999, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @evanthompson_1.

If you go

What: Bark in the Park

Where: Everett Memorial Stadium, 3802 Broadway, Everett

When: 7 p.m. July 24

More: 425-258-3673 or www.milb.com/everett

Anderson Pooper

Follow the inspirational racing wiener dog @pooperstardog on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.