About 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, 3.1 million are dogs. Each year, a total of 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized, which results in 390,000 dog deaths.
A few of these forgotten canines are lucky to get a second chance in life with their new forever families. Probably one of the most emotionally intense experiences is witnessing these poor animals undergo incredible transformations after they are rescued.
It’s not just that they finally get much-needed medical care, are given shelter and food, but are healed by love from the inside out.
Below we wrapped up some of the most touching and inspiring examples of dogs before and after rescue that are likely to make us shed a tear or two, and remind us that love is the strongest force on our planet.
#1 I Found A Dog In The Jungle
A week ago, I was hiking the rainforest on the volcano Mount Meru, next to where I live. In the middle of the rainforest, I found a puppy. The puppy was too weak to move, and its tiny ribs and backbone poked against my fingers. I got her a blanket, soft food, water, and a bath. After 12 hours of sleep, a tiny, but very skinny puppy headed to the vet. She weighed only 2.5 kg.
A week has gone by, and I have a friend for life. She’s gaining weight and strength by the day. Her name is Koda. Short for Kodama – the forest spirits in Princess Mononoke.
Image source: mtumrefu, mtumrefu
#2 The First Time I Saw Norkis, He Was In Bad Shape. He Had Owners Who Said That Dog Was Old, Sick, And Waiting For His Time. I Wanted To Rescue Him And Give Him A Good Life
Image source: thehowsph
#3 Forever Grateful For Those Who Rescued My Guy. Before vs. After
Image source: nipdeep
#4 Jess’s Transformation. She Was A Stray, Emaciated, Had A Ringworm Infection On Her Eyebrow, And Was 34 Lbs When We Found Her. May 2021 vs. August 2022
Image source: bradleybaker9
#5 Kodiak’s Before vs. After. He Had Mange And Was Malnourished. Once We Got Him On The Right Meds, His Hair Grew Back So Fluffy
Image source: agiek
#6 This Is My Sweet Girl, Queenie. We Rescued Her At 16, And She Crossed The Rainbow Bridge At The Age Of 17. Rest In Peace, Baby Q
We suspect her previous home stopped feeding her due to being incontinent and going through so many diapers. That’s why she was so lethargic and underweight. She had doubled her weight by the time she passed away. It was remarkable to see her bounce back like that. And her sassy attitude, my goodness, I loved that about her.
Image source: OnePupAtATime
#7 This Dog Is Competing For “Top Shelter Dog Makeover,” And I’m So Emotional Right Now. Before vs. After
Image source: RobertMRodriguez
#8 Before vs. After I Found Her. She Really Wants To Heal
I’m lathering her with virgin coconut oil before and after the bath. She’s sleeping all the time and taking antibiotics. Her hair is still not that long, and there are still bald spots on the body and half of her face, but she’s healing.
Image source: jaldt
#9 When I Found Fred On The Side Of The Road, He Was Skittish, Neurotic, And Sweet As He Could Be. One Month Later, He’s Still All Those Things, But Now He’s Fat Too
Image source: imitationofmyself
#10 Bodhi When Local Organization Found Him vs. This Morning
Image source: dnewma04
#11 We Are Trying To Give This Baby The Best Life. We’re Still Working Through Her Issues, But Her Indomitable Spirit Keeps Us Going. She’s My Role Model. Before vs. After
Image source: Dreadknot84
#12 This Dog Was Dying In A Shelter, And My Boyfriend Was Going Through Depression Due To His Cancer. Today My Boyfriend Beat Cancer, And She Is Our New Family Member
Image source: Cleopatrax19
#13 Wrinkles The Dog I Rescued. Look At Him Now With His Forever Parents
Image source: Kep23
#14 Today Marks 8 Months Of Our First Meeting. We Love You, Ekko. Before vs. After
Image source: Status-op1
#15 I Found Him On This Day In 2016. He Had Mange, A Skin Infection, And Was Severely Dehydrated. After A Few Days, His Condition Improved, And I Could Take Him Home
Image source: SoapFreshSoapClean
#16 Bruno, My Beloved Fighter
This is my dog, Bruno. An animal shelter rescued him from a place where he had no contact with the sun, couldn’t pee, and ate spoiled food. When Bruno got better, I adopted him. I love him very much, and he means the world to me.
Image source: buras13
#17 Before And After Of Toby That We Adopted Last Week. He Was Found In Texcoco And Is Blind In One Eye. After Some Care And Love, He’s Really Bounced Back
Image source: GoldenHourShower
#18 Booduk’s 1st Day When I Found Her In A Trash Pile vs. 3 Months Later
Image source: Mean_Brilliant5062
#19 Joker Was A Bait Dog For I Don’t Know How Long. It Amazes Me That From The Moment I Met Him, All He Needed Was Love To Heal
Image source: RobertMRodriguez
#20 I Found Her Like This, And Now She Looks Way Better. Before vs. Now
Image source: LA_babygirl
#21 I Rescued This Sweet Girl Before Her Euthanization. I Wasn’t Going To Get Her Because I Was Still Mourning My Dog, But I Couldn’t Stop Thinking About Her
Image source: blurredlines13
#22 A Family Surrendered This Baby Who Had Him For 8.5 Years. It Took Him Some Time To Open Up, And Now He’s So Much More Confident
Image source: Forestfernweh
#23 This Baby With A Target On Her Head. Before vs. After
Image source: 21stcenturyghost
#24 My Wife And I Saw A Post About Her And Her Puppies Needing A Foster Home
She gave everything she had to those babies. When we picked her up, she was just over 40 pounds. She’s now a comfortable 62-pound dog. Most of the pups were adopted out of State, but the rescue had a get-together, and she got to see some.
Image source: Dejue
#25 From Being Underweight, Covered In Mange, And Fearful Of Humans To The Happiest Little Boy At The Dog Park
Image source: ImAnAwkoTaco
#26 This Is Brisket. The First Time We Saw Him, He Had A Terrible Flea Allergy And Lost Fur. Despite That, We Still Took Him Home The Next Day After Meeting Him
Image source: Snoo34578
#27 Meet Grendel. She Wandered Into My Campsite 5 Years Ago. Now We Have A Home, And She’s Fat And Happy
Image source: Tiredplumber2022
#28 Before vs. After Victoria Was Rescued. She Was Malnourished, With Mange And Extreme Fear And Separation Anxiety. A Year Later, She’s Happily Adopted And Healthy
Image source: Annii84
#29 Before And After. This Is Foster Dog Wendy. She Was Rescued Off The Streets 3 Months Ago And Will Be Adopted This Week
Image source: RobertMRodriguez
#30 This Is Chef. He Was Rescued Outside KFC In Antigua Two Years Ago. He’s Finally Found His Forever Home In Calgary, Canada
Image source: biddee
#31 This Poor Dog Was Rescued From The Chinese Dog Meat Traders. Before vs. After
Image source: theBeardening
#32 Ronnie Was Starving, Shot With BB Pellets, And Heartworm Positive. Now She’s Our Beloved Darling, Goofy Princess. I’ve Never Had A Sweeter Dog
Image source: Gingertumericlemon
#33 This Is Rimosa. She’s A 3-Year-Old Blue Nose Pitbull Terrier That I Rescued About 9 Weeks Ago
She’s recovering well and will start heartworm treatment soon. She is the sweetest girl ever. The top picture was taken on the first day I had her. The bottom was a few days ago, right after she got spayed.
Image source: diggyrex
#34 Before vs. After. She Lived In The Jungle Behind An Orphanage In Mexico With A Pack Of Strays, And Now She’s Our Sweetheart, Chonky Princess, That We Love
Image source: Jessicalm90
#35 Honey, My Foster Puppy. We Found Her Starving On The Street With Urine Stains. We Think She Was In A Crate And Starved. But Now She’s Gorgeous And Happy
Image source: gkpetrescue
#36 Before vs. After. When I Got My Baby, She Was Stinky, Raggedy, And Scared, But Now She Is Beautiful
Image source: jheath111
#37 Before And After I Rescued My Mini-Poodle From Being Euthanized
I pull senior and geriatric dogs from shelters to give them a final home and resting place. When I was going to pull a blind chihuahua, I saw this fluff ball and couldn’t say no. She had lost much of her fur, had a rat tail, and had skin issues. She smelled horrific. She could barely move or walk and was listed as a special needs dog. Found out she had a thyroid issue after a vet visit, and after being on thyroid meds for 4-months, her tail is now fluffy, and she’s like a fast-moving potato. All it took was a medication that cost me $5 a month to save her.
Image source: ldawgonyx
#38 I Found This Beautiful Dog Eight Months Ago. Before vs. After
She was in a critical state, covered in mange, infected with leishmaniasis, and one of her legs was injured and had worms inside. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
Image source: SARA Morocco
#39 Happy Ending For This Adorable Dog Who Was Rescued From An Abusive Situation. Before vs. After
Image source: PixelatedStitch
#40 I Found Victor In A Box On The Side Of The Road And Didn’t Have Any Mobility In His Back Legs. 2 Years Later, He Has A Wheelchair And Can Walk Very Wobbly
Image source: theBeardening
#41 I Just Wanted To Show Off My Moochie, My Pride, And Joy. He Was Used In A Puppy Mill As A Stud For Five Years While Also Being Starved. Before vs. After
Image source: Dead_as_a_doorknob
#42 Before And After Of The Foster We Have Taken In
She was abused horribly by her owner. When we got her, she was scared of men and kids, but not any longer. Enjoy this transformation because it’s miraculous.
Image source: infectedmethod
#43 Before And After Of Ms. Joni Bologna
Image source: sobersally3
#44 Freddy Before And After
Seven years ago, I brought home a new foster dog, who was fresh out of surgery for a broken leg and was quite malnourished. I fell in love and adopted him. We did a lot of physical therapy together to get him to walk comfortably again.
Image source: Kell_Bell__
#45 I Rescued This Very Good Boy, Arnold. He Looks So Handsome In His Sweater
Image source: Dinklemcfinkle, Dinklemcfinkle
#46 Willow Was The Runt Of Her Litter, Dumped In A Box By The Road, And Was Scheduled For Euthanizia. Now We’re Best Friends And Birthday Buddies
Image source: ag9910
#47 A 10-Week-Old Puppy Was Surrendered To Me For Having Seizures. Now He’s Improved So Much With Good Nutrition And Lots Of Vet Visits
Image source: Hoperosaliex
#48 From Scared Of Everything To A Cuddly Dog. When We Got Him, He Was Unsocialized, So We Had To Start From Square One With Him In All Aspects
Image source: szansaa
#49 Before And After The Rescue
Image source: AlatheaKern
#50 How It Started vs. How It’s Going
Gureum (the Korean word for cloud) is the pup on the top right. She and other puppies were rescued from a dog meat restaurant. I decided to adopt her a few days after we met.
Image source: Piczoid
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