A couple delighted internet users by documenting how quickly their new rescue dog learned to trust them.
Some rescue animals can take months—or even years—to trust their new owners, but Tassu the Romanian rescue dog took just a matter of days to warm to her new parents, Pinja Papinsaari and Tom Knecht.
Papinsaari shared a video on TikTok showing footage from when they brought Tassu home for the first time, looking frightened and nervous, but as the video continued, it showed the dog becoming more familiar with her surroundings and looking more comfortable as each day passed.
In just a week, Tassu is seen running through the thick snow outside her new home in Stockholm, Sweden, and enjoying some belly rubs once she’s back inside to warm up.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) there are about 4.1 million shelter animals adopted each year, and 2 million of those are dogs. But unfortunately, the ASPCA also estimates that 6.3 companion animals go into shelters each year, so there’s still so many animals in need of their forever home.
Papinsaari found out about Tassu from a Facebook post by a rescue organization, and after reading the description they included for the sweet dog, there was no hesitation about wanting to adopt her.
“She had been found on the street with her sister by a Romanian woman running a shelter who took them in,” Papinsaari told Newsweek. “The description of Tassu made us feel like she could be the dog we’ve been looking for; loving, kind and also playful. Adopting a rescue felt very important to us because there are so many problems with overbreeding dogs and strays in the world.
“When we first got Tassu, she was completely paralyzed by shock and fear. She had travelled for a couple of days with a bunch of other dogs, so arriving in the middle of the night and being surrounded by strange people in the darkness must have been very scary. We held her and tried to give her treats, but she was too afraid to accept them initially.”
Once Papinsaari and Knecht got Tassu back home, she made herself comfortable in a spot on the floor, refusing to move for a few hours after that.
@tinytassu Can’t believe we got to see this side of her so fast ?❤️ #adoptdontshop #rescuedogsoftiktok ♬ Here With Me – d4vd
“We set up camp as a family during her first hours with us. We were all sleeping on the floor, and she was giving us gentle licks, which showed that she was starting to understand that she’s safe with us,” she said. “We worked hard to give her as much positive reinforcement and praise as possible. That paid off, and she accepted us as her pack faster than we could have imagined.”
At the time of writing, it’s been one week since Tassu was adopted and she has already grown in confidence and personality. Although she still has anxiety and can be nervous at times, Papinsaari said that she’s “learning to enjoy life” and has even discovered what zoomies are.
As Tassu’s new owners have been documenting her life on @tinytassu, the rescue pup has developed an impressive following on social media. The video showing how comfortable she has become in just a week has already gained over 769,000 views.
Speaking about the reaction online, Papinsaari told Newsweek: “We have received so much love from the dog community on TikTok and Instagram, people are rooting for us all over the world.
“Many have shared their personal experiences with rescues too, which we’re grateful for. Tassu’s accounts have turned into a wonderful bubble of positivity and support, something we cherish a lot.”
Papinsaari is certainly right about the support they’ve received, as there are hundreds of comments on just the one TikTok video. One person wrote: “What a precious little girl. Thank you for your patience and giving this sweet baby a good home. She deserves it.”
Another TikTok user commented: “This is the joy of adopting from a shelter. Seeing them grow and get comfortable is so amazing and healing.”