A puppy found wandering the streets and close to death is now unrecognizable after being rescued and given a loving new home.
Rescue charity Happy Doggo started in 2021, after founder Niall Harbison noticed the sheer amount of sick, stray dogs where he was staying in Thailand. Three years later, and the charity has rescued countless sick, vulnerable dogs. One story in particular has resonated with TikTok users as it showed the incredible difference that love and safety can make to an animal.
In the clip, shared to the charity’s TikTok account @happydoggoniall on July 27, a tiny puppy cowers in the corner, with what looks to be a painful skin condition affecting his entire body. After his rescue, the pup lies shivering on a blanket, his breathing labored, as a human gently strokes his paw.
And then, the video changes to Rodney now, looking strong and healthy, running around green fields, on walks with his new owner, even sporting a snazzy jacket, and looking, above all, happy. The caption on the video read: “To be loved… is to be changed.”
The video received over 24.4 million views and more than 5.6 million likes since being shared, along with 45,000 comments.
One poster wrote they “started tearing up to this,” while another noted: “They only want love too.”
“Really this made me cry,” a third posted, with a fourth agreeing: “I’m gonna cry stop.”
“God bless the dog and lord bless you for saving him,” another comment read.
While the video didn’t share Rodney’s full back story, another post about him shared to the charity’s founder’s page in 2023 revealed he had been close to “taking his last breath” when he was first found in January of that year.
However, after a lot of care and medical attention, Rodney was now living in the U.K., going on hikes and being treated well by “very special owners who have given him everything in life.”
TikTok @happydoggoniall
The local charity Soi Dog Foundation, founded in Phuket, Thailand, says there were 70,000 street dogs and cats across the island, with a lack of spay and neuter programs available to help keep the population down.
However, thanks to the charity’s work in neutering, its workers believe that, by 2025, there will be very few strays on the streets of Phuket.
Strays are found around the world: in the United States, around 6.3 million animals enter shelters each year, including 3.1 million dogs.
Around 2 million shelter dogs are adopted each year, and around 710,000 are reunited with their owners.
Newsweek has contacted Happy Doggo for comment on this story.
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