Grateful dog: Shelter pup “holds hands” with rescuer on drive to foster home

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Regan, 4, was frightened and confused when she landed in a Lebanon, TN, shelter after her owner passed away. And so when Kim Mowena Rezac came to her aid, liberating her from the frenetic atmosphere, Regan seemed exeedingly grateful. Watch the video below as the two make their getaway with Styx playing in the background.

“She wanted to hold my hand the whole way. If I took it away she would paw at it,” Kim Mozena Rezac told TODAY. “She just wanted to be touching.”

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Rezac is the founder of Goofy Foot Dog Rescue and director of animal welfare for Animal Rescue Corps. She spent three days earning Regan’s trust.

“You could tell she was scared and afraid. I would go in and give her treats and sit with her and talk,” Rezac said. “Our shelter is wonderful, and our volunteers do such a great job with the animals. But I hated for her to be there if she could be curled up on a couch at my house.”

Regan held Rezac’s hand in the car during the entire, 2.5-hour drive to Huntingdon, TN.

“I think she felt secure in touching someone familiar,” Rezac said. “She was so nervous and scared in the shelter but as soon as she jumped into my car she seemed so grateful.”

She shot the video not only because she was moved by the experience, but to put Regan in front of potential adopters. It worked like a charm. A million+ views later, Regan had numerous inquiries.

Two days later (this video was shot in February) Rezac placed Regan with a foster-to-adopt couple who said they “were meant to have her.”

“It’s a wonderful situation,” Rezac said.

She does hope, though, that people remember to put a plan in place so their pets don’t end up in Regan’s situation. The dog’s owner was only in her early 50s.

“I’m sure she thought she had much more time left. But none of us really know,” she said.