We're sorry to do this to you, but this is Billy. Billy is an adorable Chihuahua who was rescued by a Humane Society worker, and he is also the reason your emotions are about to go from zero to BAWL in three minutes or less.
Adam Parascandola, a member of the Humane Society Animal Rescue team, found Billy during a raid on a puppy mill. Amid the abhorrent conditions, Billy somehow caught Adam's eye. The dog was emaciated, and so neglected that the bars on his cage had been rusted shut, but Adam recognized something special in his eyes.
"All of the dogs that we get out of these rescues efforts, they want and need love and attention," Adam says. "But when I got this little guy out, he laid his head on my shoulder, and at that moment I felt responsible for him. And I felt responsible for making sure he was never going to have to suffer like that again."
We'll just leave these links here for when you've pulled yourself together:
Share your animal rescue stories with Jane Velez-Mitchell
UPDATE: Oh goodness...the Humane Society is hosting a live chat with Adam and Billy on Friday! They'll be live on camera at 1pm ET, answering your questions from Twitter. Check back at HLNtv.com for the streaming video.
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