Watch 'Scared and Shy' Rescue Dog's Reaction to First Night in New Home

A rescue dog who was due to be euthanized ended up spending his "death day" in a new forever home.

October 14 was a significant date in Duke's life—It was the date set by Dallas Animal Services for his euthanization, but it turned out to be the day Duke woke up in the home of Emily, his new owner.

She first learned of his plight after watching a segment on the news about how the shelter was at overcapacity and as a result animals were having to be euthanized.

"From that point on I spent a week or so obsessing over the euthanization list, watching to see who stayed and who left," she told Newsweek. "I don't know why. It was making me sick. I had called about two others, but they got fostered at the last minute."

That was how she learned about a three-year-old brown and yellow dog by the name of Duke. Emily already had three dogs—a purebred she got through a breeder and two rescues—and she knew all about the difference fostering one of these dogs can make.

A 2018 study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science concluded that just 15 minutes of petting is enough to significantly boost the wellbeing of a shelter dog. If that's what just 15 minutes achieves, then it's easy to imagine the benefits of an extended stay.

Emily didn't know much about Duke's past, other than the information on his sheet at the shelter. But from the moment they first met, she could tell he was a dog for her.

"He walked out and came right up to me and sat down and put his paw around my leg," she said. "I leaned down and put my forehead to his then hugged him and he put his head on my shoulder. It was special. Like he was a little kid almost."

Emily had gone to the shelter that day having agreed with her husband that they would foster Duke. But that first encounter changed everything and Emily decided to adopt, telling her partner: "You just have to trust me on this. It's in his eyes. He's special."

Duke took some time to adjust to his new surroundings, though. "When I got him out of the shelter he went to the bushes and I had to coax him out and kind of pull him because he wasn't coming," Emily said. "When we got home, my husband walked him a little bit and gave him lots of pets and love. Duke just looked so sad. We walked him through the back gate and not in the house. He didn't want to come in."

Emily posted a video of Duke in their backyard on his first morning in the house to TikTok. She said he was "scared and shy," had to be carried everywhere at first and definitely did not like dog collars.

"I made the mistake of putting the leash from the shelter on him to give him a bath and that backfired terribly. He fought and screamed and I let him out and he went and hid, terrified," she said. "Never did that again."

Rescued as a stray, Duke's past remains a mystery. However, Emily has spotted what she thinks may be subtle clues to his previous life. "He tried to run out our front door a few times," she said. "That made me wonder if he just ran off and his owners never could find him, plus he is so well-behaved."

She doesn't think Duke was mistreated in any way physically. "He doesn't cower like a dog who has been abused," she said. "He is not afraid of your hand or your feet."

That first morning, just over two weeks ago, in a video posted to TikTok he was a ball of nervous energy, tail between his legs, shy and scared to come inside the house. But two weeks in a new house with a comfy bed, his own toys, other dogs to play with and a swimming pool have had an impact.

Duke has begun to come out of his shell, helped by the love and support of Emily and her husband. He now lets them put his collar on and goes for walks on a leash, sleeps soundly at night (as well as in the day) and is quickly developing his own quirky habits around the house.

"Duke follows me everywhere and stays at my feet," Emily said. He enjoys laying on the couch and likes taking all the toys out of the toy basket and putting them on his side of the yard where he is laying. He also likes sleeping in the grass and is starting to explore the water."

Where once Duke would whine and look sad, Emily has started to see a playful side complete with bouts of zoomies. "He looks like some of his burdens have been lifted," she said. Given how close he came to being euthanized, that's understandable. Though Duke is one of the lucky ones, Emily has seen first-hand the grim reality of what is a deepening crisis.

"He was going to die. All because they don't have enough space. People get mad at the shelters that have to do this but they really are trying," she said. "They don't turn animals down and when I was there, people were in line surrendering their pets. They can't keep up."