Alesha Brandt’s daughter was getting off the bus eight years ago when she saw someone in a car open their door — and toss a dog out into the road. Brandt’s daughter rushed over to the tiny dog, saw what kind of state she was in and immediately called her mom.

Knowing they had to help, the mother-daughter pair rushed the little dog to the vet. She was incredibly skinny and deaf in one ear, and had an eye injury so severe she ended up needing to have her eye removed. She was so small and sickly that, at first, it didn’t seem like she was going to make it.

“She was literally tossed into our life,” Brandt told The Dodo. “She was not supposed to survive the night but she pulled through.”

By the time the miracle dog had healed and was ready to find her forever home, Brandt and her daughter knew she was meant to be theirs, and officially adopted her into their family. They decided to name her Captain Jackie Sparrow the One-Eyed Wonder Dog, but over the years she’s picked up a lot of nicknames — most notably Meeply.

Not long after she was rescued, Meeply broke her leg trying to jump off the couch. Since she was already frail and had a history of injuries, her leg unfortunately could not be saved, and she had to have it removed. At that point, little Meeply only had one eye, three legs and one working ear — but somehow, she’s never really seemed to notice.

Meeply is around 10 years old now, and seems to have no idea that she’s different from any other dog. She’s full of personality, and even though she only weighs about 4 pounds, she definitely thinks she’s much bigger than that — and has no problem letting every dog who comes her way know that she’s in charge.

“She does seem to believe she is every dog’s boss,” Brandt said.

Meeply absolutely adores her family, and follows Brandt everywhere she goes. Since she’s so small, she makes the perfect travel companion, and she and her mom travel around 60,000 miles a year together. She loves meeting new people, and everyone is always so inspired by this tiny dog who’s living the best life despite all the odds.

“People usually spontaneously start crying when they meet her and want to hold and pet her,” Brandt said.

Despite her confidence, Meeply does still face some daily challenges. She has balance issues and a prominent head tilt, and going up and down stairs is a struggle for her. She usually gets about six steps up before she’s too tired to go on, and going downstairs is out of the question — but she definitely doesn’t seem to mind being carried. She’s not a complainer, which can sometimes be an issue because it’s hard for her family to tell when she’s in pain, so they always keep a close eye on her to make sure everything is working properly.

Meeply has faced a lot during her life, but somehow she’s remained the most positive, loving dog through it all, and her family is so grateful that she found her way into their lives.