MNN - Mother Nature Network

A piglet born without the use of its hind legs got a new lease on life when his owner gave him to a Florida veterinarian in January.

The disabled, 1-pound pig won Dr. Len Lucero over with his adorable snorts and grunts, and the veterinarian decided to adopt him.

Lucero named the piglet Chris P. Bacon after a video game character and took the little piggy to his Clermont, Fla., home, where he fashioned him a wheelchair out of K’nex construction toys. Using a veterinary version of the wrap used on sprains, Lucero attached the two-wheeled device to Chris P. Bacon and let him take it for a spin.

"He screamed and yelled. He didn't like it at first, but he got used to it,” Lucero told the Orlando Sentinel.

After a few minutes though, Chris P. Bacon seemed to take to his wheelchair, and Lucero shot a video of the tiny piglet testing out his new wheels in the living room. He posted the six-minute video on YouTube to share it with friends, but within a few days the video had hundreds of thousands of views.

"He gave a lot of snorts and grunts, and people just ate it up," Lucero said.

Today, Chris P. Bacon is an Internet sensation. He now weighs 5 pounds, has outgrown his original wheelchair and is getting too big for the second one that Lucero built for him.

But within a few weeks the piglet will be large enough to use a permanent wheeled device that will be donated by Handicappedpets.com, a company that customizes wheelchairs for special-needs animals.

You can follow Chris P. Bacon’s journey on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to watch this adorable video of him trying out his wheelchair for the first time.

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