'Broken Soul' Golden Retriever Saved From Kill Shelter Now Unrecognizable

Many people believe that everyone deserves a second chance in life, and one woman has shared exactly how second chances can turn lives around.

Sarah, an employee at Bunny's Buddies, spoke with Newsweek about how the non-profit animal rescue organization saved a golden retriever from the "kill" list in South Korea, and brought him to the U.S. where he is currently being cared for.

The dog's journey has been chronicled in a social media post that's tugged at heartstrings across the internet. The viral video, which has been viewed over 10,800 times since it was first shared to TikTok on October 27, gave audiences a glimpse at the work the Bunny's Buddies do and how Cheezit has benefitted from their efforts. The video was captioned "No one 'wants' to take in a broken soul."

"We saved Cheezit from a Korean kill shelter almost a year ago," Sarah told Newsweek.

"He was being kept in a tiny cage outdoors every day of the year. I remember him being surrounded by snow with an untreated head wound, soon he got a respiratory illness from the facility," she added.

Due to the freezing local temperature, Cheezit was at risk of being euthanized at any moment. Sarah and her Bunny's Buddies team were able to rescue the golden retriever and get him firstly to a safe and warm location called a "safe house," and secondly to a veterinarian.

The charity worker described Cheezit's stint at the kill shelter as being a life spent among incessant "barking and freezing weather," where he was "treated like absolute trash" and "emaciated".

"I'm pleased to say that when we got him out, he got the care he needed for the wound on his head and the respiratory illnesses that he caught at the shelter. Once healthy, his sweet personality started showing through," Sarah said.

'He Was Treated Like Absolute Trash'

The rescue worker went on to say that the golden was soon dubbed a "gentle giant" because of his docile and sweet temperament, a common golden retriever trait. After waiting at the safe house for three months, Cheezit was finally placed with his forever family and flew to a new home in the U.S.

"He must have found the long flight scary, but it was worth it. He now has parents who love him to the moon and back and a doggie sister best friend and two kitten brothers," Sarah said.

"His family even live on a farm on eight acres of land to give him and the whole pet family more space to run, play and watch the sunsets. It's a true happily ever after!"

Sarah cites the reason for their successful placements as being their unique approach to the adoption system. Bunny's Buddies primarily seek out new owners who are willing to take dogs out of traumatic environments and rehabilitate them, by taking on more of an active role in their settling in and training.

Although Cheezit's story came to a happy conclusion, many dogs particularly in Asia where Bunny's Buddies focuses its research, are not as fortunate.

"Rescue has never been worse so I hope Cheezit's story reminds people of why adoption is so important," Sarah said.

The animal rescue shelter currently has over 85 dogs that have been "abused and betrayed."

"You don't need to live on 8 acres or even have a yard at all, all you need to want is to help a dog get their second chance at life. It's as simple as that. In return, these dogs will change your life forever," she added.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it was shared to the social media platform on October 27 by @bunnysbuddies, the TikTok post has been liked by over 974 users.

"He's so beautiful. I hope he forgets all about his bad past, and stays fed and loved forever," one user wrote.

Another user added: "Thank you for taking him."

The TikTok post can be seen here.

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Correction 11/24/23, 6:02 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct the dog's name.