There’s a first time for everything — and in Roo’s case, it’s knowing that she’s loved.

Roo, the golden retriever, hasn’t had an easy life. Before being taken to her forever home, she was in terrible shape and was about to be put to sleep. The high-kill shelter where Brian found Roo said she was the most petrified dog they had ever seen. They had never even bothered to clean her, and she was covered in sores, ticks, and matted fur. Brian knew the moment he saw her that this just wasn’t an option he would accept.

Even though, she had been denied even the most fundamental pleasures, including a plaything to call her own, she would be the luckiest pup when rescued by her new dad, Brian Beker.

“Roo the one-year-old rescued Golden Retriever who never had any toys, or so much as anything to chew, grew up imprisoned, starved and neglected,” Becker wrote while sharing a charming clip of Roo’s happy new life. “This is the first time she gets to choose her own toy at a pet shop.”

What did she choose? The perfect stuffed animal. Roo searched for quite some time before landing on her new and first favorite toy. Roo has become quite a celebrity too. She now has a website in her honor, where her owner documents her journey.

Save the life of a dog today, but most important, SHARE the love and pass it on.