Violet the cocker spaniel has come a long way – literally and figuratively.

When she was first brought to Camp Cocker Rescue in Los Angeles, California, she had to be carried by a staff member. The poor pup had been abandoned in a high-kill shelter because her spinal cord was badly injured at some point, which made it seemingly impossible for her to walk on her own.

The staff at Camp Cocker got straight to work rehabilitating the sweet dog. Nami, a canine physical therapist, quickly bonded with Violet as she helped the pup regain her mobility.

“She was very scared of people,” Nami said. “She just didn’t know how to be a dog.”

It didn’t take long for Nami to fall in love with Violet’s friendly personality and hardworking nature, and Violet slowly began trusting her team of caretakers.

After three weeks of strengthening her hind legs using a treadmill, water, and special harnesses, Nami and the others started to see a marked improvement in her motion. Once Violet got a taste of what she could do, she wanted more. Her rescuers hooked her up with a special wheelchair, and she never looked back!

“She never gives up. She overcomes so much,” Nami added with pride.

Nami quickly realized that she didn’t want to part with Violet and soon said, “I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, she picked me.’” So she adopted the beautiful girl and brought her new BFF home!

These days, the two of them go on all sorts of adventures! They love to hike and swim together, and Violet always gives the activities her all.

Her mom has been so inspired by the way Violet has overcome her injury that she started an Instagram page for her. “Hi, I am just a handi-capable wonder woman,” the pup’s bio reads. “Traveling the world with my message of love and acceptance for perfectly imperfect dogs everywhere.”

She certainly seems to be living her best life. Just look at that huge smile on her face!

What a wonderful forever family! These two are encouraging everyone to overcome their own obstacles no matter how difficult they may seem.