Senior Dog Kept Chained Outside for 10 Years Now Free to Spend Golden Years on a Beach: 'The Life That He Deserved’
PETA noted that the dog had been kept outdoors chained to a doghouse inside a little pen for a decade before his owner agreed to release him to the organization
PETA
Rusty the dogA senior dog has a new lease on life after trading in a life chained outdoors to one of freedom on a beach.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) revealed in a news release that the canine — named Rusty — is finally getting to enjoy his golden years in comfort after a decade spent chained outdoors to a doghouse in North Carolina.
The animal organization shared the dog’s story in a new video, which showed Rusty’s initial living situation being chained to a doghouse inside a little pen. PETA noted that Rusty had been left there “24/7 for 10 years” until PETA fieldworkers became aware of his situation.
One of those fieldworkers, Chris Klug, said in the release that they would bring Rusty “food, toys and insulating straw during winter months” while working to get his owner to release him to them.
PETA
Rescued senior dog RustyRelated: Family Returns 'Heartbroken' Dog to Shelter After 8 Years, Viral Video Helps Him Find a New Home
“Every time I would see Rusty, my heart would break,” Klug recalled, adding that their “persistence” eventually “paid off” as Rusty’s owner eventually “agreed to let us find him a loving home.”
“I was so happy for Rusty that he wouldn’t have to live outdoors anymore and he could finally live the life that he deserved,” Klug added in the video.
The video then cut to the canine eating cake during a party thrown for him ahead of his journey to West Palm Beach, Fla., the location of his new home. He could be seen surrounded by members of PETA as they cheered him on and wished him goodbye.
Rusty’s foster dad could also be seen bidding him goodbye as he jumped into a car to begin his road trip with Klug, who had taken it upon himself to take the canine safely to his new home. Several clips showed Rusty enjoying his tour of the different states before finally arriving on the doorstep of Hannah Caldwell, his new owner.
She could be seen greeting him at the door saying, “Welcome home Rusty! Hi!” while giving him a bunch of hugs. She even had a sign made for the dog that said, “Old is the new gold.”
PETA
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“I feel like a lot of senior dogs are overlooked,” she said in the video. “His story really spoke to me, and I definitely want to give him a better life [and] just [be] able to give them the best part of [his] life left.”
At the end of the video, Rusty could be seen going on walks on the beach and throughout the neighborhood and enjoying the comforts of his new home with toys.
“He’s definitely perfect,” Caldwell said.
Along with the video, PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch “urged” people to “keep their companion animals indoors with the rest of the family” and to “lobby elected officials to ban unattended tethering.”
Read the original article on People
