Watch as Puppy Mill Survivor Tastes ‘Freedom’ on First Car Ride

A video of a dog finally tasting freedom after five years of living in the puppy mill system brought viewers to tears.

The owner, known on TikTok as @shay.nanigans87, shared in an August 14 video that her dog lived in a puppy mill for five years. Like other canines in the system that are forced to live their entire lives cramped in cages breeding more puppies, this Australian shepherd was confined to a dark room, forced to give birth to puppies. She was just another number for the puppy mill, using her for more pups.

Thankfully, her time in those cramped and unsanitary conditions didn’t last her entire life. Her time for freedom was long overdue. She knew as soon as she stepped into the car, she had been rescued. In the video, she sat in the back seat of her owner’s car in awe of her first car ride.

She held her head out the window, enjoying the wind blowing across her face. Her eyes couldn’t believe how much life was out in the world, and without blinking, she tried taking it all in. The dog moved from window to window, soaking it all up.

Thankful for this dog’s new sense of life, viewers flooded the comment section. The clip amassed over 244,100 views, 38,000 likes and 1,818 as of Thursday.

“It’s her freedom ride,” said a viewer, with a second echoing: “Thankfully she is free.”

Another added: “This made me cry, just watching her enjoy this simple outing. Please share more of her adventures can’t wait to see what she does next. She’s living her best life due to you x.”

Newsweek reached out to @shay.nanigans87 via TikTok for additional comment.

What Are Puppy Mills?

Puppy mills is a term used to describe large-scale commercial dog breeding facilities. They are known to overlook healthy and ethical breeding in order to maximize profits. However, oftentimes people buying dogs do not realize they are purchasing from a puppy mill, since they advertise themselves as a dog breeder or kennel.

The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are 10,000 active puppy mills across the country with 500,000 dogs kept solely for breeding purposes. About 2.6 million puppies originating from mills are sold each year.

Missouri leads the U.S. with the highest number of dealers per state, according to a report from the Humane Society. Ohio follows Missouri’s 23 puppy mill dealers with 20, then Iowa with 15 and Wisconsin with 10.