Wheely Willy the dog dies

From UPI:

LONG BEACH, Calif.-- Wheely Willy, a wheelchair-bound Chihuahua made famous by the story of his rescue, has died at his home in California, his owner said.

Deborah Turner of Long Beach said she awoke Dec. 22 to find the Chihuahua, which was found in a cardboard box in Los Angeles during the early 1990s, had died next to her during the night, the Orange County (Calif.) Register reported Jan. 1.

Turner said the woman who originally found Willy took him to a veterinarian, where it was discovered the hairless puppy's vocal chords had been cut and his back had been broken, causing paralysis in his back legs.

The dog lived at the veterinarian's office for about a year, regrowing his fur and gaining necessary weight, before Turner adopted him. Turner bought Willy a K-9 Cart, the set of wheels that would become his mode of transportation and propel him to TV appearances on Animal Planet, National Geographic and numerous talk shows.

"There's some part of me that knew he wasn't going to live forever," Turner said. "But then there was some fanciful part of me that thought maybe he will live forever."