An amazing thing that most of us realize about dogs is the fact that they love life and will make the most of any situation. Herschel is a German Shepherd who feels that way and loves life, along with everything about it.

It wasn’t all that long ago, however, that Herschel lived a very different life. He was neglected by his uncaring owners for five years, chained to a post and ultimately abandoned. The only thing the poor dog knew was what was in front of his eyes.

After Herschel was rescued and taken to a shelter, he began to explore his new surroundings. As you can imagine, however, the shelter truly didn’t care for his needs and the energy he had as a young dog.

When families would come to give Herschel a forever home, he would display his energy and excitement and it would be mistaken for aggression. It seemed as if this dog was doomed to spend the rest of his days in a kennel.

That is where Save Our Shelter came in. They recognized what was truly in the heart of this caring animal and wanted to give him an opportunity. They worked along with the host of Dog’s Day out, Rocky Kanaka to provide him with them on some adventure.

They wanted to provide Herschel with one fun day.

It started with a trip to the mountains so that Herschel could enjoy the snow. He absolutely loved being out in the cold weather.

The playful dog would toss the snow into the air and he was having the time of his life. He also gave some hugs to children that loved his energy.

Rather than being stuck in a kennel, Herschel could explore his surroundings and everything he was missing in life.

That wasn’t the only surprise that this dog would experience. It wasn’t long before he was back in the car and headed for the ocean. He took in every inch of scenery along the way.

When Herschel got to the water, he could no longer contain his excitement. He couldn’t wait to get to the water and even Rocky was a little nervous about letting him loose.

When the dog felt the sand under his paws, his excitement was too much to contain. He went to the water and his joy was easy to see. He loved the freedom he was experiencing, jumping up and down in the water and biting at the waves.

It seemed that in one moment, he was experiencing the world as he had always wanted to experience it.

Watch this video as Herschel experiences the world around him and cries joyfully at what he sees.