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Dogs are very active and playful animals; they require regular walks and ideally plenty of space to run around. But sadly, some dogs are contained by their owners, kept in cramped spaces.
That was the case for one dog, who spent 4 years in “solitary confinement” fenced into a small backyard pen. But now, this dog has finally been set free…
According to a press release from animal rights organization PETA, a dog named Timothy lived in a rural North Carolina home, where he was kept inside a tiny pen in the backyard and forced to endure “terrible isolation and neglect.”
Timothy had spent his entire life in this pen, with nothing to do but pace back and forth.
PETA fieldworkers heard about Timothy’s situation and regularly visited the dog, hoping to provide much-needed socialization, but the owners constantly refused to relinquish him.
They wrote that despite everything, Timothy never lost his strong spirit.
Finally, when Timothy was four years old, the owners finally agreed that Timothy “deserved better” and gave PETA permission to take him. They immediately freed the dog from the cage he had been in for years.
“Timothy’s entire world opened up, and he began experiencing the joys he’d been denied for so long,” PETA wrote in a video.
The rescuers threw Timothy a party, and he was placed in a foster home, where he had a big backyard to run around and play in. Then, amazing news came in that Timothy had been adopted!
Timothy now lives with a couple named Lori and Michael in Syracuse, New York. His life has completely turned around: the couple have been taking him on hikes, walks and camping trips, allowing Timothy to see the whole wide world he’s been missing out on.
“My heart has melted for him. We’re gonna go on a lot of adventures together,” Lori said in the video. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun. We’re going to have him til the end.”
“Timothy has found a loving home, but countless other dogs like him remain penned or chained outside 24/7 without adequate food, water, shelter, or social interaction,” PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said in the press release.
“PETA urges everyone to keep dogs indoors with the rest of the family and to talk with their elected officials about banning unattended tethering, which will help ensure that these sensitive animals aren’t kept chained outside 24/7 like old bicycles.”
No dog deserves to be locked up and neglected like this — we’re so glad Timothy finally knows freedom after all these years in his loving new home ❤️
Please share this story if you love dogs.
