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What every good boy and girl needs is a forever home and owners who love them to the moon and back. And, let’s be honest, in a perfect world, there’d be no need for rescue shelters because our bestest friends would all have roofs over their derpy heads where they can blep in peace.
It might not be a perfect world, but there are some great human beings out there who open up their homes (and their hearts) to doggos in need. The r/BeforeNAfterAdoption community is the place to go if you’re in need of an emotional pick-me-up. Cuz photos of sad doggos turning into happy canines will melt your soul and make you feel like life’s full of light.
Upvote the dog pics that made you smile the widest, and let us know if you’ve ever rescued a canine in the comments, dear Pandas. In the mood for some more cozy adopted pet photos from the 351k-member-strong r/BeforeNAfterAdoption subreddit? Jump straight into Bored Panda’s magical animal rescue wonderland right here (so many doggos) and here (much wow).
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#1
My Foster Dog’s 2 Month Glow Up
RELATED:
#2
Miley, Who Came To Me As A Hospice Foster Dog Since She Wasn’t Expected To Live And We Just Wanted To Make Her Comfortable. This Is Her, A Year And A Half Later!
#3
How It Started vs. How It’s Going
Bored Panda was incredibly curious to find out what the best way to introduce our newest family members to everyone at home should be. So we reached out to the friendly team at the ASPCA. With over 3.3 million dogs going into US animal shelters each year, the ASPCA are experts on the subject of adoptions.
Kelly DiCicco, the ASPCA Adoptions Promotions Manager, told Bored Panda that when it comes to introducing pets to new family members, everyone should take it slow. Have patience. And it’ll pay off. The same tactics apply both to adopted dogs and to cats, too (for any of you feline-lovers out there).
“Do not approach the dog or cat, but allow them to come to you. If the animal begins to show signs of feeling uncomfortable, you should end your session and try again later.”
#4
Brodie Was Brought Into The Shelter After His Mom Attacked Him. Now He's A Qualified Therapy Dog For People With Disabilities
#5
1 Year Update. 100% Team Work!
#6
Yesterday Was Lupa's Gotcha Day, This Is The Difference A Year In A Good Home Makes!
DiCicco pointed out that there are certain cues you should look out for that indicate that your new dog (or cat) is feeling uncomfortable and needs some alone time.
“In dogs, this could include ‘whale eyes’—a term used to describe when a dog shows the whites of their eyes—paw lifts, lip licking, yawning, and pacing. In cats, this may include hissing, swatting, and keeping their ears pinned back,” she said.
“People don’t like being forced to interact with someone they’re not comfortable with, and neither do pets! Giving the dog or cat a few of its favorite tasty treats during these sessions can help.” We couldn’t agree more. And if we, people, could get treats whenever we’re feeling uncomfortable, life would be almost perfect.
#7
Our Foster Pup When She Was Found On The Streets As A Sick, Discarded, Breeder Mama And Then A Few Days Ago, Napping Peacefully On Our Bed
#8
Meet Julie. This Is About 6 Weeks Of Progress
#9
PB From The Cat House PH. Unbelievable Transformation
Sorry I'm a CAT LOVER 5 years ago
OMG!sge looks so bad.HOW COULD ANY RESPONSIBLE PERSON DO THIS?!
Shannon Joyce Barcelo 4 years ago
Phoebe is a rescued dog from The Cat House based in the Philippines
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Mustn’t eat the mango 🥭 4 years ago
The dog is nice and warm not hopefully, I mean he was naked before good puppy aww
SOPHIA SAIS 4 years ago
this is scary sad what she looked like before no animal i mean NO animal deserves that
aniah Oakley 4 years ago
it really makes you think about how there are barely any cats on this
What's more, in an earlier interview, DiCicco told us that keeping “an open mind and heart” is best when heading to an animal or rescue shelter. You might just walk out with a pet you never even considered before. DiCicco stressed that anyone willing to adopt a pet shouldn’t be shy about asking shelter staff lots and lots of questions.
“Every shelter has a unique population of animals and no one knows them like the people who work with them every day. Plus, shelter staff have expertise in making successful matches and can help prospective adopters decide whether an animal is a good personality and lifestyle fit. They also consider a potential adopter’s lifestyle, home environment, and the animal’s potential compatibility with children and other animals in the home in order to make matches that are a good fit,” she said.
#10
This Is Lucy, From Nov 1 To Today. My Amazing Wife Saved Her From The Streets And Disease
#11
Harvey Was Born The Runt Of A 12 Puppy Litter. The First Picture Is His First Day With Us At 3.5 Pounds And Lots Of Health Issues. He’s Now 32 Pounds And Getting Quite Handsome!
#12
From A Hoarder House With 100+ Dogs To A Home Of Her Own! I Had Fostered Her Since November And Officially Adopted Her Last Month!
#13
Patron Was Found Discarded In A Trash Bag On The Side Of The Highway At 4 Weeks Old. 8 Weeks Later, He’s A Very Happy Boy And We Couldn’t Love Him More!
#14
Hiya, This Is Rimosa! I Rescued Her Back In June Of 2019. She Had Yeast, Heart Worms, Lots Of Other Infections, Missing Teeth, She Was Missing Most Of Her Hair, And She Had Been Beaten. She's Fine Now, Top Picture Was The Day I Brought Her Home And The Other Was Last Week. Working On Her Manners Now
#15
This Boy Came To My Partner And I As A Foster Dog, But Within Hours Of Meeting We Knew We Wanted To Keep Him Forever. Introducing Hades, My Big Soft Goofball
#16
He Went From Mistreated, Frail And On The Verge Of Death To A Happy Pupper With A Heart Of Gold! Meet Jack
#17
Izzie, Rescued By Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
#18
It's Been 4 Months Since I Caught Marley And Her Puppies. She Was Living As Part Of A Feral Pack For 13 Months After Being Abandoned, And It Took Me 3 Months To Gain Her Trust. She Seems To Know Everything's Going To Be Alright Now
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
Curious to know what happened with her puppies, I do hope they found happy forever homes.
#19
My Friend Adopted A Senior Dog That Had Been Shot In The Leg And Left To Die. These Pictures Are A Day Apart
#20
Mary, The Dog Rescued From The Street With A Collar Ingrown To Her Trachea. Before And After In 2 Months
#21
Charlie Before And After His Adoption
#22
I Adopted My Sweet Girl From A Kill Shelter In Atlanta, Georgia. She’s Living Her Best Life In Halifax, Nova Scotia!
#23
Three Short Weeks And Lots Of Love
#24
The Car Ride Home, She Trembled And Hid Her Face; Now, Her True Personality Shines Through! She’s Silly!
#25
Wilbur Was Found As A Stray, Missing Hair, Underweight And His Whole Body Was Inflamed Due To Allergies. Two Years Later My Boy Is Happy, Healthy And The Love Of My Life!
#26
From The Little Girl On Doggy Death Row (Hours From Being Put Down), Too Scared To Come Out Of Her Crate To Eat, To Today. Happy Gotcha Day To Wags!
#27
Coco Came To Us Skin And Bones. Fast Forward A Few Months And She's A Happy, Healthy Pup With A Forever Home To Boot!
#28
What A Difference A Month Makes!
#29
Rescued Peanut 6 Months Ago From An Abusive Home. He Had Fleas Everywhere And Was Very Matted So I Had To Shave Him
#30
My Foster Dog The Day He Was Rescued From Animal Hoarders, And Today
#31
Found This Beautiful Girl Tied Up On The Highway. Vet Said If She Wasn’t Taken In She Would’ve Probably Died That Night. Took Her Months Before She Would Even Be In The Same Room With Anybody And Now She Spends All Her Time With Her Favorite People And Her Four Animal Siblings. I Love Her So Much
#32
Found This Girl On Sunday In The Woods. Yesterday, She Gave Me A Kiss
#33
Two Years After Adoption And Still Getting Floofier By The Day
#34
Today Is Grover's Gotcha Day. He Was Found Roaming The Streets In Texas, Ended Up In A Kill Shelter, And Finally Found His Way To Me Aaaall The Way Up In Canada
#35
Meet Our Beautiful Rescue Sapphire! She’s Made Leaps And Bounds Since She Was Relinquished To The Shelter Almost A Year Ago
#36
First Day, And Then 6 Months Later. Her Dry Spots Are Gone, The Calluses On Her Elbows And Knees Have Disappeared, And She Glows
#37
Her 2 Puppies Were Adopted And She Gained 15 Much Needed Lbs. My Foster Fail Is Now A Healthy Happy Island Dog
#38
Spice’s Glo Up! She Came To The Shelter With Scabies And After Weeks Of Baths And Medication She’s Getting Adopted!
#39
Three Months Ago, Our Guy Was Days Away From Being Put Down In A Kill Shelter. He Face Was Covered In A Stress Rash, Cuts And Bald Patches. Our Spoiled Baby Is Now Thriving In Every Way...
#40
My Beautiful Girl Charlie - Only Got 6 Months With Her (14 Years Old) But It Was Worth Every Second
#41
My Sisters Old Soul Of A Dog In The Shelter In Italy (He Was 10y At That Time) And 1 Year Later - Happy As Can Be
#42
Lucia Was Skinny And Mangy And Naked And Itchy And Scared When Rescued From A Hoarder. Now She’s Fluffy And Happy And Dare I Say It A Bit Plump. Rescued By Good Karma In Florida
#43
She's A Survivor
#44
I Was At An Adoption Event To Get A Kitten When I Saw This Guy Standing By The Kitten's Crate. It Was Love At First Sight. I Came Home With Him, The Kitten, The Kitten's Three Littermates, And The Kittens' Mother. It's Been Over 4 Years Now, And All Six Are Still With Us
#45
Happy Gotcha Day, Gorgeous George! It's Been One Year Since We Took In A Hairless, Swollen Pup That Nobody Wanted. Now He's A Gorgeous, Confident, Rock Star Who Loves To Go To Gigs And Hang Out At The Beach!
#46
A Year Ago Today We Adopted This Beautiful Boy! From The Streets To The Shelter To Our Loving Home!
#47
Ozzy Was Covered In Mange And So Scared When I Picked Him Up That He Peed In My Lap On The Way Home. Now He Has Forever Smile!
#48
*Before Pics May Upset Some People* I Was Called To Groom This Poor Girl. I Ended Up Bringing Her Home With Me. After Pic Was About 6 Months After
#49
These Pictures Were Taken Exactly One Year Apart!
#50
Our Girl Poppy. Been With Us About 5 Months Now
#51
Technically, I Had To Buy Him From Previous Owner At Roughly 8 Weeks Old. He Had Bad Coccidia And Was Skin And Bones. Now At 6 Months Old, He's A Lorge Goofy Boi And Is Healthy As A Horse!
#52
A Little Over A Year Ago, I Found The First Of Three Litters Born To A Feral Pack Of Dogs I Was Trying To Rescue. I Caught One Of The Moms And Brought Them All Home, Raised Them, And Adopted Out All But Darcy. Here They Are A Year Later
#53
Arlo Was The Only Dog Smiling At The Humane Society And We Fell In Love Immediately; Almost One Year Later, He’s Still The Happiest Boy!
#54
Charlie Was Rescued From A Shelter Suffering From Kennel Cough, Cushing's Disease (Excessive Thirst, Excessive Peeing), Skin/Hair Problems And A Tumor On Her Adrenal Gland. Now, She's My Parent's Fluffy Foster-Fail!
#55
Cherry. Before At Her Foster’s In The Beginning Of April 2020 (I Adopted Her The Day After The Foster Sent Me That Pic), And After, Taken One Week Ago
#56
Shelter Intake Photo & First Beach Day With Her New Family
#57
She Was The Only One In The Entire Shelter Who Wasn’t Barking...now She Protects Her Yard And Her Pack!
#58
Found Abandoned On The Streets Of Romania, Full Of Fleas And Worms. Our Big Boy Floki
#59
Day One Leaving The Shelter vs. Two Months Later On A Beach Trip
#60
Got Her Right Before The Humane Society Closed For Quarantine!
vesna antonic 4 years ago
You were right in the time to fill both of your lives with happiness
#61
My Sweet Remi Mae, She Was Full Term Pregnant And 2 Weeks From Delivery. Came To Me And Had 10 Healthy Puppies, Who All Went To A Rescue. Now She Is The Sweetest Couch Potato
#62
At Three Years Old, She Wasn’t Spayed, Had An Awful Uti For Most Likely Months, Wouldn’t Come Out If The Crate For Over A Month, And Was Afraid Of Men. Seven Months Later Layla Is Confident, Always Happy, And Fiery Inside And Out
#63
This "Aggressive" Dog Who Was Days From Euthanasia Is Now The Light Of My Life. Adopt Don't Shop!
#64
My Baby After 1 Week And Then Yesterday. He’s Gone From So Afraid And Neglected To The Happiest Dog I’ve Ever Met
#65
Exactly 1 Year Ago We Adopted Suki. She Was Extremely Anxious And Would Not Eat Or Drink When She Thought We Were Watching Her. Today She Is A Happy, Playful Dog Who Loves Going On Walks
#66
Little Leela's Before N After Adoption Glow Up Foster Fail
#67
My Little, Underweight Bailey. Before (Left) And After (Right). She Was About 20lbs Underweight
#68
He's Pochoclo (Means Popcorn) We Adopted Him Three Years Ago, In A Park. We Love Him So Much, We Didn't Know How Cute He'd Be. Full Of Good Vibes
#69
Meet Rico. We Found This Little Podenco Wandering Around In The Middle Of Nowhere In Southern Spain. We Only Managed To Catch Him Because He Was Too Tired To Run And Simply Gave Up. A Year And Half Later He's A Happy Healthy Boy That Is Loved By Us And His Galgo Brother
#70
My Foster Dog Got Adopted Yesterday. Only 10 Days Between The 2 Photos
#71
World’s Saddest Doggy To Beloved Derp
Janelle Madison 5 years ago
Awww I’m so glad that he found a good home, He looks so sad it the first picture
#72
After Losing Our 12 Year Old Pit, I Happened Across This Girl's Picture On The Local Humane Society Website. No History. Picked Up As. 9.5 Year Old Stray. She Is So So Loved By Her 4 New Human Family Members. I Think It Shows!
#73
Top: ‘Lobito’ At The Animal Shelter In Feb. Bottom: ‘Cooper’ On A Hike Today With Me And Da’ Wife
Weim Central 5 years ago
The eyes in the before photo... so sad but the after eyes make it all better!
#75
20/02/20 - 14/03/20, 3 Weeks Since Rescued! Her Name Is Celery And She Is The Bestest Girl
#76
Meet Penny And Romeo, Two Street Dogs Living Off Of Canned Food And One Dealing With A Huge Abscess Due To Neglect And Abuse--But Just 5 Months Of Tlc Later They Are The Happiest Lovingest Dogs In The World
#77
She Was A 2 Yo Stray Dog. We Find Her Alone In A Rural Area At 3 Am. This Is What 1 Year Of Care And Love Does. Best Decision Ever
#79
When We Adopted Maggie She Had Worms, Kennel Cough, And Mange. We Had To Put Her In Toddler Shirts Because She Would Scratch And Started To Lose Her Fur. Now She Is Thriving, Loving Her New Hammock, And Silky Coat!
#80
From Drab To Fab. Reid Was Found On Reid St. In Houston And Was In Need On A Loving Home. A Forever Grateful Companion
#81
From Open Heart Surgery To Living Her Very Best Life
Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago
I studied that picture for way too long before I spotted the lil doggo in her doggles! Precious.
#82
One Man’s Trash Is Another Girl’s Treasure. Aslan Was Found In A Trash Can In Romania 5 Years Ago, And Is Now Living His Best Snowy Life In Finland
#83
Turok The Galgo Before The Adoption In June And 3 Months Later Longboi Has His Own Bed
#84
Lost A Leg, Gained A Family!
#85
Top Left: Before. Bottom Left: Hospitalized For Parvo One Day After Adoption. Right: Happy, Healthy Pup In His Furever Home!
#86
In The Shelter vs. Rescued And Happy. Meet Arthur!
#87
From Sad And Scared Puppy To Happy And Healthy Boi. It Only Took 2 Months Of Foster
#89
Left: Otis First Arriving At The Shelter. Right: Otis Adopted, Clean And Being A Good Boi At Home
#90
Rescued From A Hoarder's House With 50 Other Dogs. Looking Much Better These Days
#91
The Shelter Sends Us The Dogs Nobody Else Can Handle To Foster. We Took In Our Foster Tulip A Month Ago, Who Was Code Red For Being Terrified Of People And Biting. She Was Also Terrified Of The Leash, So It Had To Stay On. We Officially Adopted Her On Tuesday And Celebrated By Learning How To Swim!
#92
The Return Of Pigmentation In My Rottweiler's Skin And Fur Over The Past Three Years. She Has Vitiligo
Hannah Marshall 4 years ago
Beautiful doggo. Even with the vitiligo the white top of her head and ears is gorgeous
#93
On The Left Is Emmy At The Shelter, Way To Skinny And Unhealthy, And On The Right Is Emmy A Year After We Adopted Her. Once She Got All Healthy All Her Beautiful Floof Grew In! My Sweet Girl
#96
Glow Up Of My Precious Girl!
#97
Top Left Is In The Shelter, The Rest Are In His New Forever Home. He's Still Technically A Foster Until He Is Done With His Heartworm Treatment, But After That He Is Ours For Good!
#99
From The Shelter (Apr. 2019) > His Forever Home (Sept. 2019)
Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago
I wouldn’t be able to part two shelter mates. I’d have to have them both.
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Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago (edited)
I read all the stories and I should be happy that they all got their forever homes and are living their best lives but I can’t because I’m so sad at what they ALL went through and not just that but the sheer numbers of animals all around the world who are being killed daily. Abused daily. Starved daily. Fighting to survive daily. People dumping their pets on the roadside and driving away. The way the human species has treated animals is the single reason I am so utterly depressed and misanthropic.
Janelle Madison 5 years ago
I mean if you can’t take care of the animal how hard is it to drop it off at a shelter or ask around to see if any one wants the animal Don’t just toss it on the side of the road that is the worst possible thing that could happen to them
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Cat 5 years ago
Atheist here but I do hope there is a special section in hell that's reserved for monsters who abuse animals
Anne 5 years ago
I upvoted them all. Good humans. And those that got them to the state in the before pictures.. may all your teeth rot, may your skin itch without remedies, may all your nails split painfully and may you forever have infections in all your joints. For the rest of your life.
Weim Central 5 years ago
Me too and 2x for the good humans and 4x for the bad ones.
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InfectedVoice 4 years ago
To all involved in rescuing these animals, THANK YOU, as a rescue volunteer myself it's so nice to see, I just wish we could help every single one that needs help but this post is just amazing, THANK YOU ALL. To the scum who abuse animals, I wish I could bury you all alive and leave you to rot.
Justin Seagull 4 years ago
I once learned that what seperate humans from animals is our abilities to have empathy and compassion. What I learned here is that not all humans are like that. Some humans are less than animals. Glad to see these dogs have a happy ending.
Jamie J 4 years ago
Well done to all those kind souls who rescue these beautiful lives! No animal should ever be mistreated! The ones of neglect are truly heartbreaking and make me hate humans more and more. The turn around restores some of that loss of faith in humankind. It’s very conflicting.
Sydnee nielsen 4 years ago
Awww it's so heart warming to see your baby that you saved grow into something that's so beautiful
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I couldn’t go through the whole post coz the before pics were just so confronting and heartbreaking. They do not deserve to be mistreated, the poor things. So glad they found happy and loving homes.
Janelle Madison 5 years ago
I had to stop too the pictures were so sad I wish there were laws against abandonment or abuse of animals
Load More Replies...
Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago (edited)
I read all the stories and I should be happy that they all got their forever homes and are living their best lives but I can’t because I’m so sad at what they ALL went through and not just that but the sheer numbers of animals all around the world who are being killed daily. Abused daily. Starved daily. Fighting to survive daily. People dumping their pets on the roadside and driving away. The way the human species has treated animals is the single reason I am so utterly depressed and misanthropic.
Janelle Madison 5 years ago
I mean if you can’t take care of the animal how hard is it to drop it off at a shelter or ask around to see if any one wants the animal Don’t just toss it on the side of the road that is the worst possible thing that could happen to them
Load More Replies... Cat 5 years ago
Atheist here but I do hope there is a special section in hell that's reserved for monsters who abuse animals
Anne 5 years ago
I upvoted them all. Good humans. And those that got them to the state in the before pictures.. may all your teeth rot, may your skin itch without remedies, may all your nails split painfully and may you forever have infections in all your joints. For the rest of your life.
Weim Central 5 years ago
Me too and 2x for the good humans and 4x for the bad ones.
Load More Replies... InfectedVoice 4 years ago
To all involved in rescuing these animals, THANK YOU, as a rescue volunteer myself it's so nice to see, I just wish we could help every single one that needs help but this post is just amazing, THANK YOU ALL. To the scum who abuse animals, I wish I could bury you all alive and leave you to rot.
Justin Seagull 4 years ago
I once learned that what seperate humans from animals is our abilities to have empathy and compassion. What I learned here is that not all humans are like that. Some humans are less than animals. Glad to see these dogs have a happy ending.
Jamie J 4 years ago
Well done to all those kind souls who rescue these beautiful lives! No animal should ever be mistreated! The ones of neglect are truly heartbreaking and make me hate humans more and more. The turn around restores some of that loss of faith in humankind. It’s very conflicting.
Sydnee nielsen 4 years ago
Awww it's so heart warming to see your baby that you saved grow into something that's so beautiful
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
I couldn’t go through the whole post coz the before pics were just so confronting and heartbreaking. They do not deserve to be mistreated, the poor things. So glad they found happy and loving homes.
Janelle Madison 5 years ago
I had to stop too the pictures were so sad I wish there were laws against abandonment or abuse of animals
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