OURAY, Colo. (KDVR) — He’s a viral sensation with a million social media followers, and he’s bringing hope and inspiration to people all over the world.

Not bad for a 7-year-old dog.

Dexter is a Brittany spaniel with a unique skill: He walks around his Colorado hometown on his two back feet.

“As a puppy, he was hit by a car. We knew we were going to have to get rid of one of the arms. We didn’t know that the other arm had more damage to the elbow, so he had about five or six different surgeries. And all the sudden, he’s walking upright, and it just shocks the heck out of us,” said his owner, Kentee Pasek.

It is a head-turning sight in the tiny mountain town of Ouray. Dexter’s social media followers have even made special trips to town, hoping to meet him in person.

“I know people have come to Ouray just to try to see him. Yes, absolutely,” Pasek told FOX31.

Dexter reminds people ‘we could adapt no matter what’

Dexter is the star of parades, national news stories, late-night comedy shows — and a staple of social media.

“We have him on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. And he has about a million followers in general with all of those added up,” Pasek said.

Managing Dexter’s popularity has become a full-time job for Pasek. Seems there is something about this dog — at this time in our lives — that resonates with people all over the world.

“Well, during the pandemic everyone was absolutely bored, and we didn’t know what was going to happen. So Dexter really just inspired everyone to realize life would be OK and we could adapt no matter what, and I think his story just hit home to a lot of people,” Pasek said.

And while Dexter may have learned his walking technique from humans, his owner says humans have a thing or two to learn from him.

“I think Dexter teaches us that we have our ideas so set in a box about the way life should be, but in reality, we really don’t have control over it. And I think if we would stop like really thinking all the time about the past or if we would just stop getting anxious about the future, and we could live more in the moment, I think that’s what Dexter wants us to do,” Pasek said.