‘The purest form of appreciation I’ve felt after 22 years on this planet is my dog licking my face.’: A woman who rescued a dog riddled with neglect, vows to ensure the animal's recovery, safety, and a future filled with unconditional love and cuddles

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Oct 28, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Pretty much all doggo adoptions have at least an element of the doggo saving their new pawrent and the pawrent being somewhat saved by the doggo. But today we have had the good fortune of getting our paws on one heck of a story. A story filled with so much good and genuine love and adoration that we had to share it with you as soon as possible. For, as the tittle suggests, these two souls needed each other more than anyone could have imagined. And their coming together spelled the beginning of not only a wonderful friendship, but of the healing of their scolded souls.

This is the story of how a pupper can save your soul, this is the story of how much dogs being traded on social media need help from incredibly loving and responsible pawrents. This is the story that will make you ball your eyes out and start searching for your next pupper on social media.

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  • 01
    I rescued a dog from a random woman last week. I've never owned a dog, but I have a stable job and time to spend with one, so I went for it. I didn't want a pure bred. I didn't
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    need an expensive dog. I wanted a dog that I could love and that needed love. These thoughts are in my mind as I'm mindlessly browsing Facebook. I subscribe to a local yardsale page and came across a post
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  • 03
    where a woman was giving her dog away, as she no longer had time to care for it. I take this as an opportunity to pour my love somewhere. I quickly contact her and make plans to acquire the dog. We
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  • 04
    exchange numbers and the next day I'm picking this dog up at a local coffee shop parking lot. She hands me the dog without so much as a word, hops into her car quickly, then drives away.
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  • See, this is an interesting point. Shelters spend hours and a great deal of resources making sure that their puppers find pawfect homes. But the reality is that many doggos are simply passed along through social media without a single care or question. Meaning that it is so much more important to rescue these doggos before they end up in truly terrible homes. 

  • 05
    The odor the dog is emitting is immense. I notice a blue harness around her body, caked with ps. Fh, hanging from the rigid blue harness. This dog looks me in the eyes with one of the most GO d
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    heartbreaking looks I've ever seen. My soul f' g ached. My stomach dropped. It's in a f.. g pit as I'm typing this. This dog is a healthy 55 pounds with a harness built for a G ed toy.
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  • 07
    FOLD GRAY
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  • 08
    I'm holding my dog in the parking lot and I don't know what to do. I have no connection, no money invested, but I start crying. I just f g cried my eyes out. I'm holding my dog, standing tall and my eyes are pouring. I feel weak.
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  • 09
    Weak that something I've never known could hurt me like this. I'm not a bh, in the sense that my dog is now my responsibility and the fact that I have you to love now is why I'm getting you
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  • 10
    the attention you need. You are going to go to the vet and you are going to be cared for. The first day I had her, I gently removed her harness, snipped her matted fur, and
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  • 11
    wiped away the ps and dried bd. I held her as I sanitized what I could, and she licked my face. She licked my face so much. The purest form of appreciation I've felt after 22 years on this planet is my dog licking my face.
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    Cheezburger Image 10568314624
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  • Oh goodness, this is quite the tear-jerker of a story. It is just so heartwarming to hear about such tender love and care from both sides of this story. And most of all, that there was no fear, not a big struggle to overcome. These two souls simply needed each other and found each other to be more than enough.

  • 13
    I don't give a fk how much it costs, but my dog IS GOING TO BE CARED FOR. The wounds that encircle its ribcage and shoulders will be cleaned, WILL HEAL, AND YOU WILL SURVIVE.
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  • 14
    I'm furious at the woman who gave me my dog. I'm furious that she left this being come to such a disgusting point in its life. I feel like vomitting. I'm queesy, not at your wounds, I wash
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    those with no burden. Im sick to my stomach and filled with sadness at your pain. But, tomorrow morning I'm going to clean your wounds again, give you a bath, dry you off, and load you into my SUV.
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    Cheezburger Image 10568314880
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    We are leaving early in the morning so you can be cared for all day by a Vet. She may have been neglected, but she's in good hands now.
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  • 18
    At this point I don't know what to say, other than I just needed to vent. I'm filled with a variety of emotions, and I needed on see my thoughts on paper.
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  • 19
    At the end of this day, I'm going to clean my dog's wounds and give her some food I made for her. I made a mixture of ground chicken and brown rice for her. She loves it
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  • 20
    She wags her tail when I scratch her ears. She makes little grumbly cooing sounds when I rub her belly. She likes to jump up on me when she sees me, and that's okay. You are mine to love, and I am yours to love.
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Tags

dogs face felt woman appreciation reddit story cuddles unconditional love neglect licking dog story safety rescued recovery animals
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