A rescue dog who spent the first five years of his live tragically chained up alone in his owner’s backyard has been given a new lease on life, starting with his very first visit to the ocean.
Hershel, a very fluffy German Shepherd, has not had the easiest go of things and had been eagerly awaiting the day he finally found his forever family. Thankfully, his dreams came true in 2018, along with several other “firsts” that were all captured on video.
After his owners neglected him and eventually abandoned him in their yard, Hershel was rescued and actually adopted twice, but both times he was returned to the shelter.
Unfortunately, his heartbreaking start to life appeared to have left this poor teddy bear of a dog with some emotional trauma which made him a difficult dog for some owners to take on.
But that all changed when the animal organization Found Animals took him in, and started passionately campaigning to find Hershel the right family.
Around this time, the pup was brought to the attention of TV personality and animal rescue advocate Rocky Kanaka, who selected him to to appear on his show, “Dog’s Day Out”.
The show’s purpose is to give deserving dogs the most absolutely perfect day possible, while also providing them with a spotlight for potential adopters.
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And it’s safe to say Hershel had one spectacular day out.
Thanks to Kanaka, this pup was able to enjoy a whole host of new experiences that he’d never been able to before.
On that day, Hershel was able to roll around and play in the snow for the very first time, as well as taste his first burrito and Starbucks Puppuccino.
To top it all off, he was able to give as many “Free Bear Hugs” to passersby as they could handle, which certainly helped get him noticed by potential adopters.
At the end of his fantastic day, Hershel had warmed the hearts of so many people that the adoption applications started pouring in.
Eventually the organization settled on the perfect family for this deserving doggo. All that was left to do was to travel from Los Angeles to his new home in Washington, and Kanaka was more than happy to make that transportation possible.
But the TV host decided there was one more “first” Hershel needed to experience before leaving the Golden State: the ocean!
In a video shared to YouTube , Kanaka captured the moment this dog, who spent his entire life cruelly confined to a backyard, first laid eyes on the great, blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
And to say he was excited is a huge understatement.
Right away, Hershel began jumping, whining, and vocalizing his joy at watching the waves crash and roar along the shore.
That pure happiness was only amplified when he was brought down the beach to place his paws in the water.
“He was biting the waves, and jumping in and out like a dolphin,” Kanaka shared in the video. “It brings happy tears to my eyes knowing that he’ll now be loved forever.”
Watch the full clip below!
Two years later, I’m happy to report Hershel is still *pawsitively* smitten with his forever family, a love made possible by Kanaka deciding to take a chance on a homeless dog.
Now he gets all the food, belly rubs, and affection he spent so long living without. Truly a happy ending!
You can keep up with all of Hershel’s adventures, as well as witness his wonderful home life, on his official Instagram page @teddybearhershel .
