A moment full of emotions (Video)

Many animals escape from abuse or neglect and are never the same afterward. You can hardly blame them — after being mistreated for so long, it’s no wonder that some animals may lose their trust in humans forever. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case for one lucky dog who was rescued by Matheus Laiola, an agent tasked with enforcing animal protection laws in Brazil. Matheus Laiola is no stranger to the quiet suffering of neglected dogs — pets who all too often spend most of their lives leashed up, in conflict to local ordinances. Laiola’s work, however, is far from thankless.

Recently, Laiola shared footage from the liberation of one such leashed-up pup, whom he’d evidently been monitoring for evidence of ongoing mistreatment. “She lived in chains, in the cold, heat, rain and sun,” In circumstances like this, animal rescuers never know what they’re walking into. Dogs who’ve had bad experiences with people may be terrified and even aggressive, and the rescuers had to be careful when they broke the chain to enter the yard where the dog was being kept. “We arrived at the place and there was no one there, [so] we broke the lock and rescued the dog.” But to their delight, this sweet dog only wanted to attack Matheus with kisses…

She thanks her hero in a touching way

After being freed, the dog was placed in the care of rescue organization Casa do Produtor and where she had a veterinary consultation. But she wasn’t there for long. The dog’s owner has been identified, Laiola wrote, and will be investigated for animal mistreatment. The pup at the center of this case, meanwhile, has already found her happy ending. She’s already been adopted and she’s doing well. Watch the video, the dog couldn’t have been happier to see him — showering her hero with kisses.