Dog Chained Outside and Fed Every 2-Weeks Finally Finds Loving Home He Deserved

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Neglected Dog “Happy Feet” Finally Finds Love After Years in Chains

A neglected dog named Happy Feet has finally found love and freedom after years of being chained outside, fed only once every two weeks, and left to suffer through brutal weather alone.

His heartbreaking story began in Montana, where volunteers from Freckles and Tomcat Rescue found him in August 2024. The discovery left rescuers devastated — the dog was living on a short chain beside an uninsulated plywood doghouse, surrounded by trash and feces.

“He was found on a short chain with an empty doghouse, underweight, matted, wormy, and with an injured back leg,” said Eshan King, founder of Freckles and Tomcat Rescue. “His only water source was rainwater caught in a rusty dish.”

Even more painful was learning that his owners, who lived just minutes away, admitted to visiting him only once every two weeks to bring food.

Happy Feet was immediately rescued and taken to a veterinarian for evaluation. The medical team discovered that, while his leg injury caused him discomfort, he thankfully did not need surgery. He received pain relief, treatment for parasites, and began to heal both physically and emotionally under the care of the rescue team.

Soon, Happy Feet was transferred to Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston, Montana, where his bright personality began to shine. It didn’t take long before he caught the eye of an adopter — an active man who had another dog and loved hiking.

“He found his happy ever after with his new dad and dog sibling,” King shared with Newsweek.

A family in Seattle dropped their dog, a black lab named Mitch, off at a local kennel one day, not expecting anything unusual to occur. But Mitch's stay at the kennel ended with an employee brutally kicking and punching him - to the point of death.

The rescue posted Happy Feet’s journey on TikTok (@ftrescue), showing heartbreaking footage of his life in chains before transitioning to clips of him wagging his tail beside his new family. The emotional video quickly went viral, drawing more than 76,000 views and thousands of supportive comments from people touched by his transformation.

One viewer wrote, “He is not their pet, he is their prisoner. And they ABSOLUTELY most DEFINITELY are not his family.” Another added, “Oh, he was so happy to be walked by you! The look backs for constant reassurance.”

But as King explained, Happy Feet’s story is far from rare. “The reservations we rescue from don’t have laws to hold people accountable for animal neglect,” she said. “Situations like his go without consequences. Despite free spay and neuter programs, neglect continues because there’s no enforcement.”

Freckles and Tomcat Rescue continues to fight for animals like Happy Feet, working tirelessly to save neglected dogs, one at a time. “There are still many out there waiting for their turn,” King said. “We just don’t have enough resources to help them all.”

Thankfully, for Happy Feet, that turn finally came. Today, he’s living the life every dog deserves — free, loved, and never forgotten. His story stands as a reminder that compassion can rewrite even the saddest beginnings into joyful endings.

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