No one knows for certain how Luna’s story begins. Earlier this month, she was picked up as a stray dog wandering the streets of Florida, taken in by Walton County Animal Services.

There, placed inside a shelter kennel, Luna’s future was equally uncertain.

But it’s uncertain no longer.

After Luna had spent 11 days at the shelter, a stranger arrived hoping to adopt a dog — and Luna caught her eye. This would be the moment the former stray’s life began to change forever.

Freed from the kennel, Luna looked on as her new mom filled out paperwork to make the adoption official, stirring with excitement over the happier life awaiting her.

“It was amazing to see. Just amazing,” Patty Weingartner, who manages the shelter, told The Dodo. “It’s like she knows. She’s just wagging her tail and looking proud as can be.”

That day, as Luna bounded out of the shelter and into her new forever home, her future never looked brighter.

“Her new family absolutely loves her,” Weingartner said. “People don’t realize that these animals need interaction with people. When you see these moments, you realize we do make a difference. People just need to take that chance. Dogs are happiest in a home of their own, giving unconditional love.”