Hearts have been broken across the internet by a malnourished and defeated German shepherd who was found begging for food outside a restaurant. But she finally has her happy ending as she's been rescued by a loving owner who has vowed that she will only ever know happiness from now on.

Texas resident Joanna Quinn, 43, was in her local town of McAllen when she spotted an underfed and scruffy looking dog wandering around the parking lot outside a restaurant. It was clear the dog was looking for food, but Quinn noticed that when she approached other passersby, they "would just ignore her."

Shortly after, staff from the restaurant tempted the dog towards them with some food as they wanted to lure her away from the busy street. When Quinn got a closer look at the dog, she felt devastated, telling Newsweek that it was clear she'd been "suffering for a very long time."

The dog needed help, so Quinn didn't hesitate to provide her with a loving home. She took the German shepherd back to her house and named her Lanning.

"The workers at the restaurant gave her some food that's when we decided to bring her home," Quinn said. "We couldn't leave her there, especially because of her physical condition. After she was fed, she just came with us, it's like she was asking us to help her."

Lanning was checked over by a vet, who estimated that the German shepherd was between 3 and 4 years old. There is no way of knowing for certain what she went through previously, but it's believed she could have been severely neglected in her home, or she had been on the streets for a long time as she is around 20 pounds underweight.

She had X-rays, skin scrapes and bloodwork done to test for several diseases and infections, and thankfully was negative for them all.

Quinn continued: "She's severely malnourished, missing hair on the majority of her body, and her skin is in horrible condition. She also has a leg injury that we are still trying to figure out, but she has no major disease that we know of."

In the days since she was rescued, Lanning has settled into her forever home incredibly well, as Quinn says she's just "grateful to be off the streets." She has vowed that Lanning will never know hurt again, adding that her days ahead will only be filled with "love and happiness from now on."

Footage of the moment Quinn rescued Lanning outside the restaurant was shared on TikTok (@iminlovewiththe_jojo), leaving social media users in tears. Text over the video reads: "She was hungry. She was tired. She was sad. She was defeated."

In just a few days, the clip has generated more than 275,500 views and over 36,400 likes. While the reaction has been supportive, Quinn hopes Lanning's story does more than just touch hearts—she wants people to act and make a difference for these helpless animals.

"It doesn't take much to show compassion to an animal in need. Lanning cannot speak or buy food; all she can do is hope that someone cares enough to help her.

"I wanted to bring awareness to the crisis that is not only happening here in Texas, but nationwide. Animals are suffering at the hands of irresponsible humans. People need to educate themselves on how to properly care for a pet, and to stop supporting breeders.

"There are already so many breeds in shelters who are waiting for a home. And if they don't find a home, they will eventually be euthanized."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that 6.3 million animals entire U.S. shelters every year, including 3.1 million dogs.

Quinn says the best way of tackling this problem is to spay and neuter animals to reduce the stray population. But she also suggests that it's down to every individual to do their part, adding that if someone sees an animal in need, rather than walk away, they should "just do something" to help instead.

She told Newsweek: "I want people to stop thinking someone else will help these animals instead of them. Look at how many people saw Lanning and did absolutely nothing. All it took was someone to care to save her from death."

Since the video of Lanning's story went viral, the TikTok video has amassed more than 1,700 comments at the time of writing. Many people praised Quinn for stepping up to help, while others were horrified that the situation was allowed to get this bad.

One comment reads: "German shepherds are so loyal so I can only imagine her heartbreak when that was broken...thank you for helping her."

Another person wrote: "Thank you for not ignoring her and saving her. God bless you."

While another TikToker commented: "God bless you for helping her. I don't understand how people abandon these angels."

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