Dog Chained Up for 18 Months Finally Finds His Dream Family
For 18 long months, Rusty’ the dog’s world was confined to the length of a chain. The dog, like many strays in Thailand, suffered from neglect, lacking adequate food, water, and social interaction. But Rusty’s life was about to change dramatically, thanks to the efforts of a local animal welfare organization. (watch TikTok below)
Happy Doggo, a Thailand-based charity, has been making waves by transforming the lives of neglected canines like Rusty. The organization recently made headlines with this particular rescue, shining a light on the plight of stray and mistreated dogs in the country.
Rusty’s story, while heartbreaking, is not unique. Across the globe, countless dogs endure similar hardships, never knowing the comfort of a loving home or the simple pleasure of companionship. However, it’s the tireless work of groups like Happy Doggo that is slowly turning the tide.
Freedom At Last
Led by the organization’s founder, Niall Harbison, the team at Happy Doggo rescued Rusty, bringing his miserable existence to an end. From the moment he arrived at Happy Doggo, Rusty wholeheartedly embraced his new beginnings. This sweet, oh-so-gentle boy radiated love and positive vibes right from the start, and everyone who interacted with him got to experience how wonderful he was.
In fact, Rusty’s enthusiasm for life puzzled Niall and his team, who described him as the “friendliest soul you could ever imagine.”
Interestingly, Rusty’s gentleness and friendly disposition shone through not only when he was around humans but also with other dogs. According to Niall, Rusty “became the go-to dog to help sick or scared pups, offering them comfort and calm.”
With his amazing traits, it was obvious that it wouldn’t take long before Rusty found a loving adoptive home. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the first time.
@happydoggoniall Rusty lived most of his life on a short chain. 😔 In the same area, another dog was tragically killed, and those caring for Rusty didn’t know how to keep him safe. But despite everything, he was the friendliest soul you could imagine. 🧡 He became the go-to dog to help sick or scared pups, offering them comfort and calm. We told Rusty he was going to his forever home and threw him a little celebration, but his adoption fell through in August. We worked hard to find him a new family so that he wouldn’t be disappointed again.. Happily, the wait is over! 🎉 Rusty left Happy Doggo Land with his best pal Sandy and is headed to his forever home in England! 🇬🇧 Two best boys headed off together…we couldn’t be happier for them! 💕 Rusty says all it took was a bit of patience and faith. He knows there’s lots of good people in the world, he’s just so lucky he got to find his. #AdoptDontShop #RescueDog #dogsoftiktok #dogs ♬ Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine
The Adoption Heartbreak
Rusty was set to fly to his new forever home all the way in Ireland this past August. Sadly, this didn’t happen. “A special appeal today for a wonderful dog, Rusty. He lived on a chain for a year and a half in really miserable circumstances. But then he got a forever home, and he was just getting ready to travel to Ireland when suddenly, his forever home fell through. No fault of Rusty whatsoever, but he’s now looking for a new home,” Niall explained in an Instagram video.
Despite this setback, the Happy Doggo team didn’t tire of looking for a suitable for Rusty. Thankfully, their efforts paid off.
@happydoggoniall Our best behaved boy, Rusty, was all ready to head to his forever family in Ireland but his home fell through. He had all his paperwork and we even threw him a party. Now he’s back looking for a forever home. Can we help? You can find out more at www.happydoggo.com/adoptable-dogs #rescuedogs #adoptdontshop #dogsoftiktok #adoptme ♬ original sound – Happy Doggo
Rusty’s Happy Ending
Eventually, Rusty won the hearts of a family in England, who expressed interest in offering him a forever home. This lovely pup — who “brings everybody out their shell,” according to Niall — is now soaking up as much forever love as his big heart can accommodate with his new family.
His life today is a far cry from his previous life. A once-neglected Rusty is now receiving all the attention and care he craved when he was chained up, a perfect ending to his prolonged captivity. Truly, it’ll never cease to amaze us how dogs who’ve endured traumatizing experiences find the courage to trust and love again.
