For eight years, a dog lived in a dilapidated doghouse in her family’s backyard – until one day, it appeared that things had gotten much worse for her.

Pamela was left behind while the family was evicted from their home.

“Have you ever seen a dog with a broken heart?” Janine Guido, founder of Speranza Animal Rescue in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, posted a photo of Pamela gazing out of the small house she was about to lose on the organization’s Facebook page last week. “This is where she has lived. It’s all she’s known for the past eight years.”

Guido had arrived since she had been informed by a local realtor that the dog would be homeless. Soon after, the guy being evicted arrived and bundled Pamela into Guido’s car. “He back slammed the door and returned to the home to get his items,” Guido wrote.

Pamela was clearly afraid of the new and unexpected developments in her life. She was hiding in her box, curling her tail securely under her and gently snarling. “While she has no physical scars, she does have mental wounds,” Guido wrote. “And they are the most difficult to mend.”

Guido, on the other hand, has helped even the most traumatized canines overcome their pasts. So she knew Pamela only needed love, comfort, and patience.

The dog also needed to see a veterinarian since she had lesions on her body from living outside in dirt.

“She simply shivers in dread when I talk to her,” Guido wrote. “Her entire body trembles… My heart is aching just looking at her.”

But just a few days later, Pamela was kissing Guido on the lips. The dog, who had lived her whole existence outside, came to realize that the rapid changes in her life were really beneficial.

Pamela’s kisses were first hesitant. But after a few pleasant walks with Guido, she’s changed her mind.

“On our stroll this morning, she actually stayed close by me, never straying more than a foot away,” Guido tweeted on Monday. “She’d peek back at me every five or ten steps, leap up, and wrap her legs around my waist. She began kissing my face as soon as I knelt down. As if to say, ‘I’m OK now.’ These are the moments you live for.”

Despite the fact that Pamela has clearly made rapid progress, no one wants to hurry her. It’s critical that she feels completely at ease in her own flesh before making any further significant modifications.

“She will be thoroughly checked and will stay with us until we learn all of her likes and dislikes,” Guido told The Dodo. “However, we are hopeful that she will be ready for a family in the near future.”