IHOP the pup was born without any front legs,
but she was determined to get around anyway.
(barking)
“Come here.”
She practiced walking every day.
“C’mon.”
And soon she was strong enough to stand
and take little steps.
But walking turned out to be really hard.
It seemed like maybe she’d have to give up,
but she didn’t.
She kept practicing until one day, it happened.
She figured out how to hop.
Now, IHOP the pup can’t be stopped.
“Oh, good girl.”
And she didn’t know it yet,
but one day, all her practice know-how
was gonna pay off big time,
but we’ll get to that later.
“Yes, good girl. Yes, good girl.”
Oh, did we mention
that IHOP happened to have the world’s best cheerleaders?
“Hi, sweet girl. Hi.”
You see, taking care of a puppy like IHOP
is a lot of extra work.
Not everyone can do it.
So IHOP needed to find a family who could.
That’s when Steph and Duke came along.
They’re dog rescuers
who love helping special dogs like IHOP.
They promised to foster her
until she could find her forever home.
But even though she loved living with them,
something started to bother her.
She didn’t have any doggy friends, not one!
And she wanted someone to play with.
So Steph and Duke decided to help.
They introduced IHOP to another rescue pup
they were fostering, Millie.
Maybe she was going to be IHOP’s new best friend?
But even though they both tried,
the two of them just couldn’t seem to get along.
“Be nice to one another, you two.”
Which made their playdates hard.
And when they didn’t become instant besties, IHOP was sad.
“What’s wrong, IHOP?”
Would she ever find a true friend?
But just a few days later,
Steph and Duke volunteered to foster another special dog,
a huge Great Dane named Waffles.
“Hi, sweet girl. Hi, welcome.”
Waffles couldn’t move her legs very much.
She couldn’t stand, walk or hop,
but she was looking for a friend, too.
And even though IHOP was little and Waffles was huge,
Steph and Duke thought, “Maybe?”
But IHOP wasn’t so sure.
“IHOP, go, go say hi.”
She was nervous.
What if the same thing that happened
with Millie happened with this new dog?
But there was something special about Waffles.
IHOP could see it in those big eyes of hers.
“Go get her, IHOP.”
So IHOP said:
(barking)
And Waffles said:
(barking)
And that’s when IHOP did something super special.
She gave Waffles a hug.
“Are you trying to play, IHOP?”
IHOP was like, “Uh, Mom, we are playing.”
And they were.
“You guys are silly. You know that?”
Silly?
Excuse me, we are having some very serious playtime, OK?
But even though IHOP loved Waffles exactly how she was,
Waffles wished she could hop around
the way her best friend did
because then they could play together even more.
So Steph and Duke got Waffles this,
a wheelchair just for her.
But now Waffles was nervous.
What if she couldn’t make the wheelchair go?
What if she fell?
She wanted to walk,
but this looked really hard.
(whining)
But IHOP knew exactly what to do
because this was the day when all IHOP’s practicing know-how
paid off big time.
She was like, “You can do it, Waffles!
You just need to practice.
Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”
So IHOP hopped, and Waffles tried to follow,
but it wasn’t working.
So she kept practicing with Steph and Duke’s help,
and IHOP kept cheering for her
until she started to roll.
IHOP was so happy for her.
Now, there were two unstoppable dogs at Steph
and Duke’s house, which is when the rescuers realized
these two pups were meant to be together forever.
So Steph and Duke decided to adopt both of them.
Now, IHOP and Waffles help other foster dogs
that come to stay with their parents
by showing them anything is possible
when you’ve got a true friend by your side.