It’s always heart-wrenching to hear about animals being chained and mistreated for extended periods of time, but it’s heartening to hear that this particular dog was finally rescued and found a loving family to call its own.

Being chained for four years is an incredibly long time for any dog, and it can lead to physical and psychological harm. Dogs are social animals that crave companionship and love to run and play, and being chained up can cause them to become anxious, aggressive, or depressed.

Tom, a dilapidated dog, spent the first four years of his life being chained to a tree, without enough food and water. His cruel Alabama-based owner didn’t care about the dog’s health problems.

The dog was seriously underweight, suffering from many ailments from worms to scabies. At the time of rescue, the dog weighed less than 40 pounds.

Fortunately, the rescue team heard about Tom and brought him to an animal shelter for dog adoption in Minnesota, where he met his loving mother.

“I was drawn to him initially because he was one of a dozen or so dogs, and the only one not barking, whining, or jumping around,” Tom’s foster mother said.

When his current owner took the abandoned animal home, he sat at the entry for around two minutes. “I was concerned he didn’t have the strength after such an extended period of suffering animal cruelty to make it up the stairs. But eventually, he slowly made his way up into his new home.”

Tom was then taken to the vet, who said the dog had a broken tooth and needed treatment for heartworms. However, Tom’s future is very bright. Now, the dog weighs nearly 70 pounds and is an important member of a happy family.