Back in January of 2017, a litter of boxer puppies was born and after only four hours, veterinarians were recommending that one of the pups should be euthanized.
It sounds callous, but I’m sure they were trying to do what was best for the puppy, who had been born without front legs. Though his mom hadn’t rejected him, he was too weak to compete against his brothers and sisters for food.
But Lou Robinson, founder of a rescue called Warriors Educate About Rescue (WEAR), wasn’t about to give up on him.

WEAR focuses on educating people about animals with special needs in hopes of promoting compassion over euthanasia.
Their motto is: “Different is NOT Disposable.”
She took the pup, delightfully named Nubby, into her care.

His congenital defect made things difficult at first. They needed to be careful about how they bottle fed him and a complication with how his esophagus functioned caused him to develop pneumonia.
But Nubby pulled through and began to thrive.
Nubby learned to use a wheelchair and helps WEAR demonstrate how a dog with differences can still live a wonderful life.

“[He’s] just like any other dog,” Lou’s husband Mark told the Houston Chronicle , “the only difference is that he spends a lot of time upstairs in our house and there’s a little bit of carrying him up and down the stairs.”
Look at that smile!

Nubby spends his days goofing off and doing regular dog things, while also helping his humans take care of new animal fosters who cycle through.
You can follow Nubby on Instagram @nubbydogrules .