In a small village in Romania, a young puppy named Reuben entered the world with a physical challenge that set him apart from every other littermate around him. Born with no limb at all on one side of his chest and only a single, small deformed paw on the other, he had no front legs to support his weight or carry him across the ground.

For a young dog in that quiet corner of Eastern Europe, such a severe disability left him facing a grim future where he almost certainly would have been put to sleep. Yet long before he understood the danger of his circumstances, Reuben figured out his own way to navigate the floor—pushing himself upright onto his back legs and hopping forward with his tiny front paw tucked neatly against his chest like a miniature T-Rex.

When he was four months old, volunteers with the British charity Safe Rescue for Dogs—the very same organization that had saved another two-legged puppy named Roo from that exact village earlier in the year—stepped in to secure his safety. Taking the spirited youngster into their care, the team arranged to bring him all the way to the United Kingdom, waiting to see how a puppy who had spent his early months balancing on two feet would adapt to the world waiting for him across the border.

VIDEO: A Two-Legged Puppy Saved From Romania Discovers the Joy of Family Life in the UK

A Spirit That Refused to Notice What Was Missing

To anyone watching Reuben move for the first time, his upright posture and bouncing gait looked like an exhausting effort. To Reuben, however, balancing on his hind legs was simply the way life worked.

After arriving safely in the UK and settling into foster care, the four-month-old pup showed none of the hesitation or timidity that rescuers often see in dogs who have traveled so far from where they were born.

Instead of holding back when other dogs ran past, he rose up on his back feet and joined right in.

“Ruben knows no different and doesn’t understand there is anything wrong with him,” said Zoe Hare, a 42-year-old charity worker with Safe Rescue for Dogs. “He throws himself into everything with the same gusto as puppies with four legs.”

Unlike an older animal who loses a limb to injury and has to mourn the movement they once had, Reuben had never known another way to stand. Because no one had ever treated him as broken in his foster home, it never occurred to him to act any differently than a four-legged dog.

“An animal only measures its life by the curiosity in front of it, never by the limbs it was born without.”

Cuddles, Toys, and a New Routine With Karen

It didn’t take long for Reuben’s bright, affectionate personality to catch the heart of his new owner, Karen, who welcomed him into her home after his time in foster care.

Inside Karen’s house, the puppy who once faced being put to sleep in Romania quickly became the center of a busy, loving family routine.

Far from needing to be kept apart for his own protection, Reuben immediately bonded with Karen’s other dog, matching his housemate’s energy whenever toys were scattered across the floor. When he plays with his toys, Karen noted, he acts like a completely normal dog, focused entirely on the game rather than how he has to balance to reach them.

When the playtime finally winds down, Reuben’s favorite place to be is right beside his family.

Warm, gentle, and openly affectionate, he loves nothing more than curling up next to Karen’s daughter for quiet cuddles on the sofa. The contrast between the uncertain fate he left behind in Eastern Europe and the soft, patient warmth of his new living room could hardly be greater.

Beyond the Harness: The Hope for His Own Set of Wheels

While Reuben’s enthusiasm easily carries him across a living room rug, navigating the outdoors on two hind legs is much more demanding as he grows.

Right now, whenever he goes out for a walk, Karen helps him get around using a specially fitted harness. By holding the harness up from above, she takes the extra strain off his back and helps him keep his balance as he steps forward on his hind feet.

The system allows him to explore safely, yet it also means Reuben has to rely on a helping hand at the other end of the strap whenever he wants to move further afield.

Wanting to give her lively pup the chance to run at his own pace, Karen began sharing his daily adventures on a Facebook page called “Ruben the Wonder Dog” and set up a fundraising effort titled “Help Us Raise Money to Get Ruben Running.”

Her goal is simple: to fit Reuben with his own custom set of front wheels.

With a lightweight cart supporting his chest, he won’t have to wait for someone to lift his harness or work so hard to stay upright on his back legs. Instead, he will have the independence to follow Karen’s other dog across the grass on his own terms—enjoying the simple freedom of running wherever his curiosity takes him.

“Compassion saves a life from what might have been, but giving an animal its independence lets them fully step into the life that is waiting ahead.”