Dog chained with padlock needed home. Then he got one — with fellow shelter pup
A dog found chained with a padlock was rescued — then came a heartwarming adoption.
Cupcake was adopted into the same home as another South Carolina shelter dog who needed a fresh start.
“They opened their home to both Dina and Cupcake, two dogs who came to us in heartbreaking condition and now leave happy, healthy, and so loved,” the Darlington County Humane Society wrote June 29 on Facebook.
The Keane family adopted Dina and Cupcake after experiencing their own hardship. At one point, they got River from the same shelter. That dog had waited seven years for a home and received cancer treatment before her death, the shelter wrote in social media posts and in emails to McClatchy News.
“After adopting River (aka Hyena) from us years ago and giving her a beautiful life until she passed, they knew their hearts still had more love to give,” the shelter wrote.
Dina was the first of the family’s new dogs to land at the shelter. She had parasitic worms when she was picked up as a stray in May 2024.
“The animal control officer described her as being friendly, despite weighing in at only 21 lbs, severely emaciated,” the shelter wrote. “She is now double that weight.”
Cupcake waited for a new owner after he arrived at the shelter in February. He reportedly had been “left in a backyard, not just chained, but with a padlock to his collar, no food, no water, no shelter for weeks before we found out about him.”
“Through the hard work of our volunteers and shelter staff, he began to show his sweet, friendly disposition,” the humane society wrote. “He won over many of our hearts, especially as we watched him go from guarded and scared to being so excited whenever we walked by his kennel.”
Then on June 29, the shelter shared the good news that both Dina and Cupcake were adopted. Their new family had driven to South Carolina from Pennsylvania and couldn’t decide between the two dogs.
Dina was seen snuggling with Sara Keane. Meanwhile, Cupcake’s “beautiful eyes and goofy play style” drew in Jon Keane. The family took home the two pups, kicking off their new chapter together.
“This story is what rescue is all about: second chances, full hearts, and the people who go the extra mile to turn heartbreak into healing,” the shelter wrote.
The humane society is in Hartsville, a roughly 70-mile drive northeast from Columbia. The animal organization in its emails didn’t share additional details about the family’s trip from Pennsylvania.
