Read Dezzi Mae's story in Sarah's own words.
It's not every formerly stray pup who is memorialized on adorable kid-size bikes. But stop in at any Toys"R"Us store and you can see a cartoon of Dezzie Mae the dog decorating the Avigo 12" girl's Dezzie Mae BMX bicycle.Not long ago, Dezzie Mae was at the City of Dothan Animal Shelter in Alabama when a local adoption group called Save A Pet pulled her from the crowded facility and gave her a second chance. Mae, as she was called then, was transported to New Jersey and found a home with the Wheelers, thanks to her listing on Petfinder.
Avigo 12" girl's Dezzie Mae BMX bicycle. (Photo: Toys"R"Us)
"My daughter's biggest wish was to welcome a Chihuahua into our family," Sarah Wheeler says. "But after doing a lot of research, we decided that a little Chihuahua would not be a good fit for our family with three small children."When the Wheelers saw Mae's photo on Petfinder, she seemed a happy compromise: She was a Chihuahua/Beagle mix and would be big enough to hold her own with the kids.
Wheeler's daughter renamed her Dezzie Mae.
"She has been a wonderful addition to our family and even brought new life into our 13-year-old male Yellow Lab," Wheeler says. "Recently my husband was able to honor our adopted pup. At work, he partnered with a bike company's product development team to create the Dezzie Mae bike using this photo of Dezzi. ... Not too shabby for a dog who journeyed from Alabama to New Jersey, only to become a model on a successful toy company's product!"
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A calming cat helps one woman's epilepsy
A fearful dog finds confidence in a loving home
Shelter life was all he knew until a road trip changed everything
After a marriage, a Jack Russell finds his soulmate
Dog vs. puppy? One adopter finds out love is ageless
An energetic Corgi becomes a model neighbor
A seriously ill kitten is saved by her adopters' TLC
After her Pit Bull is killed, fate sends a new best friend
They almost sent him back, but patience -- and training -- paid off
A lonely cat is reunited with her foster home soul-mate
A rescued pit bull helps a daughter through a time of loss
A Pekingese poster child for senior-pet adoption
