A dog who spent the majority of her life living in the confines of a shelter after a difficult start to life has finally experienced the joy of the great outdoors with her "first walk ever."

Staff and volunteers at shelters across the United States work tirelessly to support and provide for canine residents, but the unfortunate reality is that, for those dogs struggling to get adopted, it's an environment that can have a negative impact over time.

In 2021, a study published in the journal Animals sought to assess the overall well-being of a group of long-term shelter dogs. While the study found no impairment to their physical well-being, they did find evidence of stress-related behaviors within the group, which suggested they had difficulties relaxing in their environment.

Almost all Daphne the black Labrador has ever known is the shelter. She was found as a puppy roaming the streets of Seminole in Oklahoma with her siblings some time around early 2023. They were all eventually taken to the Seminole Humane Society, which was one of the few no-kill shelters in the area at the time.

"Her siblings were adopted quickly but Daphne was not," Miriam Kelly from Desiderata Rescue told Newsweek. Kelly puts that down to the fact she had a black coat which, in her experience, has proven less popular.

That wasn't the end of Daphne's bad luck though. "She then got sick with parvo," Kelly said. "She survived but then developed a skin fungus that caused hair loss and she simply was not adoptable while she was being treated for that."

All alone and struggling with ill-health, Kelly said staff at Seminole Humane Society recalled how, even after she recovered and she found herself with fellow four-legged friends and a yard to play in, Daphne remained "very fearful of the shelter environment."

That created a vicious cycle whereby her fearfulness meant she was regularly overlooked by visitors, meaning she remained in the very place that was making her fearful to begin with. "Everyone wants the dog that runs into their arms and loves them right away, not understanding how scary the shelter is for the dog," Kelly lamented.

That was how things stayed until May of this year when Seminole City Council voted to turn Seminole Humane Society back over to the city to be run by the police department. As a result, the facility stopped being a no-kill shelter and staff were given a matter of weeks to find placements for long-term stays like Daphne or they would face euthanasia.

That's where Kelly and Desiderata Rescue, a rescue focused on adopting and fostering dogs in Oklahoma, Washington and Oregon stepped in.

"I helped them by sharing their dogs on my Facebook page to out of state adopters. Two dogs got adopted that way and Daphne got rescue interest from a rescue in Minnesota," Kelly said.

For a time, it looked like Daphne had found a forever home and was all set to stay with a foster prior to moving. However, when that foster backed out, Daphne ended up being placed in boarding, which was tantamount to being back in the shelter.

"It was very scary for her," Kelly admits. In the meantime, her adoption fell through, leaving Daphne facing an uncertain fate. However, Kelly was determined to do right by her.

"Since I had committed to helping Daphne, I decided to take her in myself and find her a home myself," she said. "The reason I didn't do that in the first place is that I was trying to keep space open for any dogs at the shelter that may not be adopted or find another rescue to go to by July 1."

Those were the circumstances that led Daphne to her first walk. Desiderata Rescue is a world away from the confines of the shelter where Daphne had only a small play yard to roam around. Here Daphne had the chance to not only explore a yard with its very own pond, but also go on walks around the property.

Footage of the moment where she experienced her "first walk ever" was posted to the Desiderata Rescue TikTok account last week. It's clear that Daphne is excited to be in such open surroundings and Kelly is pleased to report that she has come leaps and bounds since that first trip out.

"She was a bit overwhelmed with everything at first but now she plays non-stop," Kelly said. "I still have to keep her leashed or on a tie-out line since she still gets scared when I approach her but once I get a grip on her, she is very loving and sweet. She definitely loves being outside."

The aim now is to help Daphne find the one thing she's never had in her life before: a home. Kelly appears confident that it can happen, provided whoever steps up is kind and patient.

"She has been great with dogs of all sizes, even tiny puppies, as well as with cats but since she likes to play, a dog her size would be best," she said. "Her humans would need to be patient and understand that she's not going to be all over them giving them kisses right away. It can take dogs three months to fully feel at home in a new place, so patience is key."