Pippin, ‘T-Rex’ Puppy Born Without Front Legs, Takes the Internet by Storm

Being different usually has its share of ups and downs, but for one puppy born without front legs, its been all ups since his story began to spread.

Pippin is a rescue at LoveyLoaves, a special needs rescue and dog sanctuary in Orlando, Florida. According to LoveyLoaves, Pippin was part of a litter first given to another shelter nearby, but Pippin’s differences were quite readily apparent and transferred to their facility. Pippin was born without his front legs, possibly due to improper breeding practices, LoveyLoaves told Your Daily Dish in an email. Despite his birth defect, Pippin is a relatively normal puppy who loves to play and has bounds of energy.

“Dogs adapt amazingly well to the circumstances of their lives and they just push forward,” LoveyLoaves told Your Daily Dish. “He is extremely happy and healthy … He just happens to be missing his front legs.”

Pippin’s popularity was evident right off the bat when LoveyLoaves posted stories and pictures about him on their Facebook page. But when The Dodo, popular animal-centric website, shared a video of Pippin, things really took off.

“Pippin went viral this month. His ‘neighborhood watch’ video was viewed by thousands, then The Dodo shared him which rippled out into crazy madness. Many news/media outlets including the Daily Mail, Country Living magazine, Taiwan TV, Bored Panda, Norwegian News, etc. shared photos and videos spreading him all around the globe,” LoveyLoaves wrote in a March 31 post on their Facebook page.

Pippin, who resembles something close to a tyrannosaurus rex when he’s running along on his hind legs, will eventually be fitted with a pair of rolling front wheels once he gets a little bit bigger, said LoveyLoaves.

“When he is full grown we will get him a set of wheels to aid in his mobility for exercise and playtime,” LoveyLoaves told Your Daily Dish. “Although as you can see from our videos he gets around well without a cart too. But a cart will help.”

Of course with his popularity came a rash of interest in families wishing to welcome Pippin into their home. LoveyLoaves said they have received hundreds of requests to adopt him. Though he isn’t quite ready to leave the sanctuary yet, they say they will provide a thorough review of all applications to make sure Pippin goes to the home best fit to accommodate his needs.

To see more of Pippin, watch the video below and visit LoveyLoaves’ Facebook page to learn about him and many of the other wonderful animals the sanctuary cares for.