A small, light-brown kinkajou with dark markings on its face and ears peers through cage bars in an animal shelter setting. 0:59
Humane World for Animals channel icon Humane World for AnimalsOriginal creator 325K views Save

A rescued poodle's first run on the grass

This little poodle spent her whole life locked in a basement. She has never once played outside in the sun. more

She came out of that basement on a big day for the Humane Society of the United States, which rescued 105 dogs and 20 cats at once. Even in that crowd, her case shocked everyone who worked on it.

Her rescuers judged her to be between 7 and 10 years old. One of them says she "looks like she's been bred over and over and over again." She had lost so much calcium that it showed in her teeth, and only three were left. All that time she had too little food and water and almost no sun.

It nearly broke her rescuer's heart. So she decided to give the little dog something she had never had, a chance to play outside in broad daylight.

A small, light-brown kinkajou with dark markings on its face and ears peers through cage bars in an animal shelter setting. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
This little poodle spent her whole life locked in a basement.

Out in the open, the poodle squints, trying to get used to the light. Then someone holds her up, small and curly with her tongue poking out, and tells her she is a good girl.

A person holds a small, curly-haired dog with her tongue out, looking toward the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Still squinting at the daylight, she gets a "good girl" before her run.

Then she's on the grass. She runs straight across the lawn, her fur still matted. With that curly coat she looks a lot like a little lamb.

A small dog with matted fur runs toward the camera across green grass. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Matted fur and all, she runs across the lawn.

Most dogs grow up with grass under their feet. This one is somewhere between 7 and 10 years old, and she's running on it for the first time.

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