As a dog, trips outside of the home are usually exciting occasions. It could mean a simple walk, a trip to the vet (yuck!), or even an extra-special trip to the doggie park. For one dog, though, her trip ended up at the local animal shelter where she was abandoned by her owners.

Heartbroken, the poor dog cowered in the corner, refusing to look around. But thanks to a kind rescue worker, she got a lease on a new life.

Rescued from the shelter

When Tammy Graves, founder of The Haley Graves Foundation, first saw June Cash, she knew the dog needed help. Just seeing the dog laying there in the corner was too much for Graves and so she made arrangements to place her in a foster home.

After a short wait, it was time for June to leave the shelter and begin her journey towards a new life in a forever home. But first, she had to make a stop at the vet.

“She was scared leaving and is just learning to trust people,” Graves told The Dodo. “Every day she comes a bit further.”

Getting treatment

After being examined by the vet, June was found to have heartworms, and so she began treatment to take care of that. She also had signs of past abuse.

Though it was heartbreaking, she was better off being left at the shelter by her former owner.

Meanwhile, she was learning to trust people at her foster home as she realized that everyone involved in her recovery was just trying to help her. Eventually, she felt comfortable enough to approach her foster dad.

June’s photo goes viral

In addition to rescuing June from the shelter, Graves had also snapped a photo of her and posted it on Facebook where it went viral, being shared over 29,000 times the first night. This only drove interest in June’s story.

Preparing June for life outside her foster home

Soon, offers to adopt her began pouring in, and before too long, Graves had over 500 people interested in adopting June.

But first, June had to be prepared for living in a home once again.

For that, Graves turned to obedience trainer James Voyatzis, who had his work cut out for him. In addition to emotional scars, June also had physical scars on her face, which usually was a sign of abuse.

“That’s from, probably, being hit with sticks,” Graves said. “She’s clearly had multiple litters and spent a lot of her life tied to a tree. She was extremely shy, and we knew we had to find a home that would understand that she might take a long time to warm up.”

June is adopted

Finally, the day arrived and it was time for June to go to her new home. She was adopted by Amber Barlow and her family on Christmas Eve Day. Now, June would get the chance at the life she never had.

“The first time I saw her picture, I knew she was mine,” Barlow told News & Record. “Nothing was going to keep me from her. This was my baby.”

Watch the video of June’s story below.

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Sources: YouTube – Inside Edition, The Dodo, News & Record