A rescue dog had the most heartwarming reaction to taking her first steps inside a house after the most difficult of starts to life.
Pet owner, Kristen, from North Carolina, captured the moment Daisy touched her paws down on the floor of her new home, almost in disbelief at what was happening to her. Given the journey she had been on to get here, it’s hardly surprising
Kristen, who only shared her first name, told Newsweek she only found out about Daisy she was 3, and had already been living outside for quite some time.
Kristen, and her partner, learned Daisy was living with a hound breeder. “He put her in his kennels that are outside. He’s been looking for a family or someone to give her to.
“He kept her in the kennel because she would run into the road. She hadn’t been out of the kennel for 6 months or more,” she said.
Before that, Daisy’s life had been worse. Kristen claims she was told Daisy’s initial owner planned to end her life as he couldn’t use her to breed puppies.
But the conditions she lived in and lack of socialization had taken its toll on Daisy, who was 20 pounds underweight when they first met her. “She knew no commands, didn’t know her name, she hadn’t touched grass in 6 months or more,” Kristen said.
A 2019 study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science highlighted how puppies raised indoors with more opportunities for socialization often exhibited better temperaments, and were better prepared for being around people than those canines who live in outdoor kennels.
Despite knowing a long road lay ahead in terms of Daisy’s recovery and training, Kristen and her partner were desperate to take her home and managed to convince the man who saved her life to let her go free to start a new one.
“We brought her home that day and she is the sweetest being,” Kristen said. “She is scheduled to be evaluated for any illnesses, pregnancy, microchipping, and to receive all vaccinations.”
Rescue dogs require love, care and patience. It will take time for Daisy to adjust to her new surroundings and it won’t always be easy. But there will be special moments along the way and there have been already.
The video Kristen captured and later posted to TikTok under the handle @kristendablonde is proof of that. It amassed thousands of views since being shared last week, and shows Daisy’s first tentative paw steps into her new home and the mix of nervousness and excitement she feels at what’s happening to her.
Kristen said that, to her way of thinking, it was as if Daisy was saying to herself “is this really happening?”, “Can I go in here and not get in trouble?” and “this is it, my first step to forever.”
With Spring fast approaching, Kristen and her partner hit upon the name Daisy for their new canine companion. It’s a name with several meanings. “The name Daisy often represents new beginnings, innocence and cheerfulness,” Kristen. “She also looks so happy like a Daisy.”
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