Emotional moment Rescue dog brothers experience first-ever ‘soft blanket’

The moment two rescue dogs had their first experience with a blanket melted hearts.

Six-month-old Finn and Henry were rescued in mid-July by National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR) in Peyton, Colorado.

“All of our dogs are rescued from commercial breeding facilities, sometimes called puppy mills, in the Midwest,” said social media manager Melody Kahtava. News week.

“Breeders abandon them voluntarily, because commercial dog breeding is a legal activity,” Kahtava added. “Most of our rescued dogs are retired breeding dogs, but sometimes we have puppies, like these two boys, that get old and don’t sell.”

The Australian Shepherd and Poodle dogs were taken to the shelter where they were unsocialized and anxious.

“These two were extremely reserved when they were rescued,” Kahtava said. “This comes from a lack of socialization in their breeding. No amount of positive interaction with people equates to the belief that humans are scary.”

The rescue was established in 2007 and a team of compassionate animal lovers supports dogs from commercial breeders across the country.

When Finn and Henry arrived, staff members spent a lot of time with them: “Once they received special attention from our wonderful staff and volunteers, they began to open up and to become the puppies they were meant to be,” Kahtava said.

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, an average of 17,260 per day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The number of dogs and cats fostered in pet shelters reached 46,807 in January 2023, an increase of 1,744 from January 2022, according to 24Pet’s “Shelter Watch Report.” Around 920,000 abandoned animals are euthanized each year. Shelters work to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption drives, spay and neuter programs, and behavioral rehabilitation.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are approximately 10,000 active puppy mills in the United States, while 2.6 million puppies are sold each year and come from a puppy mill.

In a video on TikTok under the username @milldogrescue, the rescue center shared the heartwarming moment Finn and Henry received their very first “soft blanket.”

Nervous dogs keep looking up, confused, and don’t even seem to understand that the blanket is made for them.

“It makes me sad how he keeps looking up like someone is going to yell at him,” one commenter wrote on TikTok. “Thank you for teaching them love and kindness.”

Another posted: “This is so sad,” while one viewer commented: “It’s so sad they don’t know what real bed is.”

But luckily, Finn and Henry have now found their happy endings and have both been adopted into new loving homes.

“Henry went to a home with children, so you can imagine the love and playtime he enjoys now,” Kahtava said. “Finn went to a quieter house, because he was the more reserved of the two.”