Watch Dog Who Spent Four Years Alone in ‘Confinement’ React to New Family

Heartwarming footage has emerged of the moment when a North Carolina dog who spent four years living in a small backyard pen came face to face with his new family.

Timothy first came to the attention of animal welfare charity PETA after one of its fieldworkers spotted him chained up outside a rural property with only a plastic shelter protecting him from the elements.

He had lived and slept in that shelter since he was a puppy and had little to occupy himself with other than pacing back and forth. PETA fieldworkers made several attempts to convince Timothy’s owners to give him up to them. When those pleas fell on deaf ears, they reached an agreement that allowed them to enter Timothy’s pen and improve his conditions.

“They replaced his plastic shelter with a sturdy wooden doghouse and gave him straw for insulation and dryness in the winter,” PETA senior vice president Daphna Nachminovitch told Newsweek. “They also supplied flea, tick and flystrike prevention in the summer, as well as regular deliveries of food, treats, and toys, along with plenty of affection.”

Those encounters made a world of difference to Timothy, “Over the four years of his confinement, these visits from PETA’s fieldworkers were the only times that Timothy ever experienced meaningful interactions with anyone,” Nachminovitch said.

Timothy’s original owners had first acquired him as a pet for their teenage son. But, when it emerged that the son was set to leave for college, PETA ramped up their efforts to try to convince the family to hand Timothy over.

“PETA earnestly and honestly shared with the family that Timothy deserved more out of his remaining years than they were willing to provide, and they agreed,” Nachminovitch said.

“Oftentimes, people acquire dogs and cats without consideration of the yearslong commitment required, which was what occurred here.”

Timothy was released to PETA and celebrated his newfound freedom and second chance at life with a special party at the welfare charity’s headquarters.

A little while after that, he was introduced to his new family. “When Timothy’s new guardians, Lori and Michael, heard his story, they instantly felt a connection,” Nachminovitch said.

“When PETA brought Timothy to them, they greeted him with hugs, gifts, and handmade welcome signs!” That greeting was captured on camera in an emotional video shared by the charity. Watch it here.

Lori and Michael only recently moved to upstate New York from Virginia. Now they are excitedly preparing for the first snow in the company of their new canine companion, Timothy. The backyard pen he spent countless hours in has been switched up for long hikes and other outdoor adventures.

It’s a world away from the life Timothy once knew, but it’s only possible thanks to PETA’s intervention. Nachminovitch believes everyone can do their part to intervene on behalf of a dog in distress.

“Every animal is someone with their own personality, needs, and feelings,” she said. “PETA urges everyone to keep dogs safe indoors where they belong, report cruelty to animals to their local law-enforcement authorities, advocate for dog-chaining bans in their communities, and always keep an eye out for dogs suffering outside without shelter from the elements, veterinary care, food and water, and love—because intervention from a good Samaritan is often the only hope they have.”