Rescue Pup's Adorable Freak-Out Over Soft Dog Bed Will Melt Anyone's Heart

When you rescue a dog, you often have very minimal information about the situation from whence they came. You rarely know if they lived in a happy home or were in a terribly neglectful circumstance. You don’t know what normal, doggy experiences may be completely new and maybe even scary for them. Baths, walks on a leash, even the sight of trees—all of these might be completely alien to the animal you just took out of a cage at the pound.

That’s why it’s such a delight to watch this foster puppy discover some creature comforts for the very first time.

In this clip, a tiny black foster puppy (named Sharpie!) is getting comfortable in his first ever dog bed—and you can see that he positively loves it on sight. He wriggles and rolls against the fluffy surface, obviously in whatever the dog version of heaven is.

Related: Actress Nina Dobrev 'Takes Over' Her Dog's Bed in Precious Photo

And he’s not alone. These dog beds are a big hit with rescues, who maybe never had such luxe sleeping arrangements before. In the replies, others show off their own rescue dogs discovering similar dog beds.

One woman showed her similar foster acting just the same way. “Ricky's probably never had much in his life and he tried to bury and hide treats & toys in the inner fold of the donut bed,” she says it eh caption to the clip, which shows another very happy pup. “He met his adopters on Sunday and the bed went with him,” she added.

Helping a Foster Dog Adjust

When a rescue dog comes to a new home, it may take a while for them to adjust to their new surroundings and let down their guard. Many rescues advise thinking of the animals as being on a “3-3-3” timeline. According to this guide, it will normally take a foster or rescue dog three days to stop feeling terrorized, three weeks to let their real personality shine through, and three months to accept the place they are living in as their new home. During this time period, it’s important to be gentle with them, avoid throwing too many new experiences and people at them, and being patient as they test boundaries and try to figure out the rules of their new home.

Then again, there are dogs like these, who see a bed and instantly understand they’ve found a (literally) soft place to land.

Picking a Dog Bed

Though many dogs prefer sleeping on cool hard floors, it doesn’t hurt to provide a dog bed for your pup—a soft, safe place they can call their own. My dog would spend winters curled up in her bed and summers splayed out as near as she could get to an air-conditioning vent.

Dog beds don’t need to be fancy, expensive affairs, In fact, you can make a bed for a dog by folding up a fluffy blanket. The important part is teaching a dog that this bed is their space, one that they can trust is reserved for them and where they can safely relax. This is especially vital if you are using the dog bed as an alternative for the dog going on furniture or your own bed. Train the dog to go to their bed and give them treats for staying there. They will soon understand it is their special spot.

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