Pancake is a whole new pup after getting a few moments of tenderness after a lifetime of neglect.

According to a new video from PETA, Pancake the dog spent most of her life chained up outside her home in Virginia. Fieldworkers from PETA would regularly visit the canine to give the dog affection. Pancake responded to these small acts of kindness by flattening herself to the ground in excitement — hence the pooch’s name.

Unfortunately, Pancake’s owner died in January, leaving the dog chained up alone in her backyard. PETA contacted the owner’s living relatives to ask if the organization could take the dog in. Even though they lived hundreds of miles away, the relatives insisted on keeping the dog outside instead of adopting her out.

This meant months with bug-infested food and limited access to water and human contact for Pancake. In August, it became clear to PETA fieldworkers, who continued to visit the canine, that Pancake — emaciated and covered in parasites — was in desperate need of help.

PETA eventually convinced the relatives of Pancake’s former owner to surrender the dog to the organization. Under PETA’s care, Pancake received much-needed veterinary help and moved in with a foster family, who quickly decided to adopt the pet.

Now, for the first time in her life, Pancake is living indoors with friends and is learning all the things that come naturally to many pet dogs — how to walk on a leash, snuggle with her foster parents and dog brother Dylan, and encounter new experiences safely.

“Everything is new to a dog who’s been living on a chain,” Pancake’s adopter Jessica shares in the video above about the dog’s journey. “I’m excited for Pancake’s future. She has so many adventures yet to come. They’re just going to have to come slowly because she’s going to be dealing with the trauma of her previous life forever.”

Pancake is just one of the numerous chained dogs that PETA has helped over the years. PETA fieldworkers regularly visit animals that the organization knows are left outside to provide the pets with water, food, and insulated shelters.

“Dogs are social pack animals, and condemning them to solitary confinement leaves them with lifelong emotional scars,” PETA’s senior vice president of cruelty investigations, Daphna Nachminovitch, said in a statement. “All of us at PETA are elated to see Pancake enjoying her new life, and we encourage everyone to help dogs like her by reporting neglect and lobbying for chaining bans.”