Animal lovers have been left in tears by the story of an “unfriendly” dog who found his forever home as his new owner saw something in him.

Odie the doodle was rescued by the National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR) in Peyton, Colorado, and it’s there that his now-owner, Cassidy, 29 and from Denver, discovered him in the winter of 2023.

“I saw Odie on their website and noticed he had been available much longer than most of the other dogs,” Cassidy, who gave her first name only, told Newsweek. At this point, he had been in the shelter for up to nine months.

Cassidy was told that Odie had been in the shelter for a long time because adopters generally wanted “more social or outgoing dogs, that will initiate interaction [and] ask for attention, and that wasn’t Odie and might never be him.”

“I figured as long as he was mostly OK in the home, I was OK with that, and we could just coexist together.”

She filled out an application, which included reading materials on how some of the dogs at NMDR may have behavioral issues, but undeterred, Cassidy visited Odie in person, along with her own dog, Dixie.

“I knew deep down [that] unless he was very aggressive towards me or Dixie, it [was] probable I would bring him home,” she said. And when, at the meeting, he and Dixie “mostly ignored each other,” and the shelter dog “just roamed in circles,” she knew he was coming back with her.

Cassidy shared Odie’s story to her TikTok account, @biglilred, on August 26, which began with a photo of Odie and a message from his perspective: “Bye! Thanks for visiting me, sorry I was a little antisocial. Have a good life!”

But Cassidy reveals that she has, in fact, chosen him, despite him being “not very friendly”—and a montage of photos shows their life together and the journey he’s taken since finding his forever home in February 2024.

It showed him going from being unsure about himself at home as he had “never been in a house before,” and not knowing whether he was allowed on the couch, to developing a strong bond with her dog, Dixie.

Odie began to flourish, taking long walks on the beach and determining Cassidy’s mom was his “favorite” person. But there were still difficult moments, like Odie biting when he was getting groomed out of fear. But Cassidy just apologized for scaring him, and as time went on, he stopped biting when he was “startled.”

Cassidy wrote from Odie’s perspective, over a montage of photos of him warming up to his owner gradually: “The shelter said they didn’t know if I could ever be a friendly dog. But I just never really had friends before. And look how friendly I am now! I even go up to humans all by myself!”

And Cassidy reassured Odie, now six years old: “I know, it’s OK Odie. We’re your last stop. Take your time.”

And in a caption, she wrote: “I’m so glad no one else wanted you so I could come have you forever.”

Cassidy told Newsweek: “He latched onto Dixie right away. They are inseparable now. He’s really fond of both of my parents, but especially my mom, and he is much more outgoing.

“He will approach people at gatherings and sit next to them on the couch of his own accord! He’s developed quite the voice and is very mouthy and vocal with me throughout the day. He still really struggles with some forms of touch and being startled, but has come so far it’s like a completely different dog!”

TikTok users were hugely moved by the video, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times, as one commenter admitted: “Every day I get on this app and cry about a dog I’ve never met.”

“This could be a children’s book,” another suggested, as another said: “Anddd I’m crying. How lovely it is to see a creature who is small and alone and afraid and show them what family and love is.”

Cassidy praised the “saints” at NMDR to Newsweek, saying their “mission and accomplishments are so inspiring and they deserve so much more support.

“It is a tireless, sometimes thankless, effort and the employees and volunteers are one of a kind. Getting a mill dog isn’t for everyone and they require special considerations, but someone interested and willing to take on the work should absolutely look into supporting NMDR.”

Each year, millions of animals end up in shelters and rescued across the United States—5.8 million in 2024 alone, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Last year, around 2 million dogs and 2.2 million cats were adopted from organisations across the country.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.