A story by WESH‘s Michelle Meredith has become a hit online and it’s easy to see why: a puppy was rescued from a roadside trash can and now, through the help of a compassionate few, it is learning to walk.

Harper, a pit bull puppy, has a rare affliction called swimmer puppy syndrome, which causes a puppies’ legs to be splayed out flat when they are lying on their stomachs, making it nearly impossible to learn how to walk.

Workers at an Orlando area animal shelter have helped Harper take her first steps, though, through swimming exercises and plenty of love.  Video inside…

The video has so far been liked over 2,500 times on WESH’s Facebook page and shared on dozens of blogs this week.

Note: WESH’s video player does not allow embedding.  The video is available on their website here.