Woman rescues dog minutes before euthanasia – but his first step outside crate revealed a heartbreaking truth about his past

A last-minute rescue gives a forgotten dog a chance at a new beginning.

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO

(L) A black-and-white dog behind a chain-link fence; (R) A black-and-white dog in a kennel gently holding a caretaker’s hand. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Astakhova; (R) Manu Vega)

A dog trainer based in Chicago saved a life by rescuing a dog just minutes before he was euthanized. But this was barely the saddest part of the poor animal’s story. As she freed him from the confines of a crate, the dog showcased what he had endured for years with a mere gesture. The heartbreaking TikTok shared on @diamondsportdogs struck a chord with nearly a million viewers and sparked a discussion about breeding dogs and euthanasia. People were deeply concerned about the fate of dogs in the U.S. and how some animal shelters fail in their purpose and deny the animals their right to live a good life.

Hounder Behind Bars. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Mario Dias) — Hound Behind Bars. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Mario Dias)

In the viral clip, the dog trainer filmed her new rescue dog as he walked out of the shelter on a leash. He was scheduled to be euthanized in just six hours, until the woman came to his rescue as a beacon of hope for a better future. “When you were scheduled to be euthanized in six hours, but some girl in her 20s bails you out of the shelter, and the only thing you’ve ever known in your life is the crate,” read the overlay text in the video. The rescue dog was of the Lurcher breed, a cross-breed of Greyhound and Coonhound. He reluctantly walked with the woman as she led him towards a life of freedom.

A brief second captured the dog’s reaction as soon as he was pulled out of the crate he had spent years in. The dog tried his best to get back into the crate, choosing confinement over an open sky–a heartbreaking truth that many crate pups face. “Thankful, I was able to make the drive down to pull these Lurchers,” the post was captioned. 72,200 people liked the post, while several others took to the comments to share their reactions.

A 7 month old lurcher female pup in woodland. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | shellhawker) — A 7-month-old lurcher female pup in woodland. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | shellhawker)

“Why is it so normalized to euthanize dogs in the US?” asked a concerned viewer (@justnick80), and @kennabelow1 expressed gratitude for the woman rescuing the pup. “Ready to watch you bring out the best in these pups. Thank you for giving them a chance,” the comment read. Someone (@mik.ram1) shared a similar experience. “I got a crate pup too, she didn’t know the difference between night and day, so we had to teach her when to sleep.” @kimhilty noted, “He deserves to know what a good life can be. Breaks my heart for him trying to get back in the cage. He’s so scared.”

@diamondsportdogs
Thankful I was able to make the drive down to pull these Lurchers ❤️
♬ Overcome - Skott

Lurchers are not the most popular breed of dog for people to rehome in the U.S., per Woodgreen Pets Charity. On average, they spend 100 days waiting for a new home and often need more support and time to settle into new environments. The charity receives at least one stray Lurcher every week and is twice as unlikely to get adopted. This breed is commonly used in illegal activities like hare coursing.

You can follow @diamondsportdogs on TikTok for more videos.