A couple was out driving together when they discovered a dog tied up along the road. She appeared unhappy and dejected, all alone in a small dog home, and even though they kept driving, they couldn’t stop thinking about her. Ultimately, they had to go back to visit her.
After questioning around, they found the dog’s parents had passed away from COVID-19 three years ago, and their son didn’t come up to the home much anymore. A man who came to take care of the yard maintenance had been leaving food and water out for her every few days, but other than that, she was absolutely alone.
The poor dog had spent the previous three years outside with no one to soothe her. The son had been wishing to give her away but felt no one would accept her — and as soon as they heard that, the couple knew what they had to do.
“We requested if we may take her, and he gave us the go-ahead without hesitation,” the couple wrote in a post on TikTok.
@maialagoss Part 1 of Xena’s story – We cannot wait to give her all the love and care that she deserves ❤️ we love you xena girl #rescue #dogsoftiktok #fyp #viral #foryoupage ♬ original sound – marianne
The dog, eventually named Xena, was frightened to travel with the couple at first. She was famished and covered with fleas, ticks and scars. With a little persuading with food, though, they were able to get her into their car and on the road to her new life.
Xena was still hesitant when she arrived at her new home, but as she met her new brothers and sisters, her tail slowly started to wag. After arranging an appointment to take her to the vet, they gave her a bath to wipe away the grime that had gathered on her after being outside for three long years.
“She is such a kind spirit and you could see in her eyes how she trusted us,” the couple wrote on TikTok.
@maialagoss Updates on Xena, she’s getting used to her new family 🫶🏼, she’s still a bit scared so she tends to isolate herself amd we always call her up to come closer to our other dogs. (Before y’all come yelling at me about the vet without gloves) I asked her why she doesn’t use gloves and she said she prefers to use her bare hands, she washed and sanitized her hand before starting, after she removed the larvae and after she was done. We are going back on monday for a bl00d test and we’ll learn more about her health state as we go. We are so thankful for all of the messages, we weren’t expecting to reach so many people’s hearts. Xena is at home now ❤️ and yes we’ll have a part 3. #fyp #dogsoftiktok #rescuedog #viral #foryoupage ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina
At the vet, Xena was unusually calm and appeared to trust that everyone around her was there to assist her. They gave her meds and informed her new parents on how to get her well again. Following that, Xena was able to start settling into her new life and experience all of the beautiful things she’d been missing out on.
Not long after her new life began, Xena got to go to the beach for the very first time, and her reaction was absolutely adorable.
@maialagoss We took Xena to the beach for the first time (at least we believe it was her first time) and she was the cutest thing trying to run, she kept tripping onto her legs and it was such an incredible moment to watch her run free 🥹 Also Xena is very thankful to all of you amazing people that is showing so much love to her and her mamas ❤️ #dogsoftiktok #rescuedog #fyp #viral #storytime ♬ Night Trouble – Petit Biscuit
“We watched her run for the first time,” the couple wrote on TikTok. “She was the sweetest thing trying to run, she kept stumbling onto her legs and it was such an awesome time to see her run free.”
While Xena frolicked along the beach, her new owners never worried once about her running away from them. She made sure she could see them at all times and seldom ran far from them. She realized that all of this was owed to them, and plainly intended to stay close by their sides for the rest of her life.
