Being a dog stuck in a shelter is rough on the soul. While yes, these pups are definitely safer within the confines of a shelter than out on the street, every day they live in loneliness. Their hope ebbs and wanes as visitors come and go and though they are not aware of it, many are at risk of being put down if they don’t find a family.

Benny, the dog, in the video above, was a resident of the Carson Animal Center, a high-kill shelter in California. Week after week, Benny waited for a kind person to come through the door and end his misery. His story, just like the hundreds of other homeless dogs in shelters, is disheartening to say the least. You can tell how discouraged Benny was just by his shy and timid nature at the beginning of the footage. Well, that is until he realized he was getting adopted!

Once he was walked out of his kennel, Benny simply couldn’t contain his excitement! He raced through the hallway, tugging his new human companion along, leaping in the air with joy.

Seeing a transformation like this happens in mere minutes, you realize the truly beautiful impact adoption can have on an animal. To learn more about why you should adopt and not shop for pets, click here.

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