{"id":105463,"date":"2026-02-05T01:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/105463\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T01:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T01:27:08","slug":"how-a-cbs-philadelphia-story-led-to-a-los-angeles-dog-and-3-year-old-sharing-a-unique-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/105463\/","title":{"rendered":"How a CBS Philadelphia story led to a Los Angeles dog and 3-year-old sharing a unique bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Philadelphia toddler and a dog from Los Angeles have a unique bond that came together thanks to a CHOP doctor and a story from CBS News Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cameron Knowles, 3, and a dog named Panini both have the world’s smallest pacemaker.<\/p>\n

It’s an unlikely connection that was put together by Dr. Maully Shah of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Two and a half years ago, Cameron had a heart block and was too small for a conventional pacemaker. He became the first baby at CHOP to receive a specially modified device that was placed outside his heart.<\/p>\n

\"4pm-7pm-clean-aircheck-260204-frame-88847.jpg<\/p>\n

A toddler and a dog from Los Angeles have a unique bond that came together thanks to a Philly doctor and a story from CBS News Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

CBS News Philadelphia<\/p>\n

Panini, who lives with Heather Ashley Boyer in Los Angeles, has the same kind of heart block, and like Cameron, sizing for a pacemaker became an issue.<\/p>\n

“So I found an article, your article online, that reported on baby Cameron,” Boyer told CBS News Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Then, when veterinarians said they couldn’t help, Boyer called CHOP.<\/p>\n

“They’re like, ‘Oh great, what’s your patient’s date of birth and insurance info,’ and I was like, ‘Oh crap,’ and so eventually I had to fess up and say, ‘Well, my patient has four legs and a tail,'” Boyer said.<\/p>\n

When Boyer reached out to Shah, she sent a photo of Panini.<\/p>\n

\"4pm-7pm-clean-aircheck-260204-frame-87347.jpg<\/p>\n

Panini is a Chiweenie, which is a mix between a chihuahua and a dachshund. Panini the Chiweenie has 6,600 followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n

CBS News Philadelphia<\/p>\n

“Once you see that picture, there is no turning back, right? I’m all in,” Shah said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There were massive regulatory hurdles, but Shah and Boyer kept pushing. Three months ago, Panini got the special pacemaker at Cornell Veterinary Hospital.<\/p>\n

“She’s been doing amazing,” Boyer said. “She’s very active now.”<\/p>\n

Boyer was back on the East Coast for Panini’s check-up and visiting her parents as Shah arranged for everyone to meet.<\/p>\n

“It’s so great to see that they’re connected by such a small device,” Shakiara Pressley, Cameron’s mother, said.<\/p>\n

Both Cameron and Panini are thriving now, with their identical tiny pacemakers, defying the odds<\/p>\n

“This is why you have to believe in the goodness of people, even in the hardest of times, right?” Shah said.<\/p>\n

Panini is a Chiweenie, which is a mix between a chihuahua and a dachshund. Panini the Chiweenie<\/a> has 6,600 followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n

In:<\/p>\n