When rescuers first saw Rocky, it was hard to recognize him as a Husky.

He was painfully thin.

Much of his fur was gone.

And he was struggling just to stand.

For more than a year, Rocky had been left in a Texas backyard after his owner died.

According to Best Friends Animal Society, he received only the bare necessities while being confined outside. Over time, his health deteriorated badly.

Then Mutts N Such Rescue learned about him.

And they knew they couldn’t leave him there.

By the time the rescue took Rocky in, he was suffering from mange, flea allergy dermatitis, intestinal parasites, a heart murmur and heartworm.

His body was telling the story of everything he had endured.

But Rocky wasn’t finished.

Not even close.

The rescue immediately began looking for a foster home where he could receive medical treatment, food, comfort and something he’d been missing for a very long time:

Love.

Fortunately, a new foster program through Best Friends Animal Society helped make that possible.

Ashley Buchart of Fort Worth, Texas, opened her apartment to Rocky.

She wasn’t promising forever.

At first, she simply wanted to give him somewhere safe to recover.

She picked him up and took him to get the essentials he needed.

A fresh start.

A comfortable place to sleep.

And a human who would finally pay attention to him.

Then something wonderful happened.

As Rocky became healthier, his personality began to emerge.

The sick, exhausted dog who had arrived at Buchart’s home was replaced by a completely different animal.

He was sweet.

Cuddly.

Good-natured.

And surprisingly smart.

Buchart began seeing the dog hidden beneath all that neglect.

And she fell in love.

“I fell in love with him,” Buchart told PEOPLE. “So now he’s mine.”

Just two months after Rocky entered her home, the transformation was remarkable.

His fur had grown back.

He had tested negative for his intestinal parasites.

He was continuing treatment for heartworm.

And most importantly, he was happy.

Bouncy.

Alive.

Buchart described the difference as “night and day.”

When Rocky first arrived, he was so weak that he struggled to stay upright on his back legs.

Now?

He’s discovering what life can actually feel like.

He goes on adventures.

He explores.

He hikes.

He swims.

He even went kayaking during a recent trip to a cabin near the water.

Just imagine that transformation.

A dog who spent more than a year trapped in a backyard…

Now discovering the joy of swimming.

A dog who once struggled to stand…

Now running toward his next adventure.

A dog who had been overlooked for so long…

Now has someone who can’t imagine life without him.

And that’s the part of Rocky’s story that stays with you.

His rescue didn’t happen because someone magically fixed everything overnight.

It happened because people gave him a chance.

A rescue stepped forward.

A foster opened her home.

Veterinarians treated him.

And Rocky did the rest.

He fought.

He healed.

He trusted.

And little by little, he became himself again.

Sometimes, fostering is described as temporary.

But for Rocky, temporary became permanent.

His foster mom looked at this battered Husky and saw something worth saving.

Then she looked again.

And saw family.

Rocky spent more than a year waiting for someone to notice him.

Now he doesn’t have to wait anymore.

He has a home.

He has adventures.

He has a person who loves him.

And most importantly…

He finally has the life he should have had all along.

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