California - Dogs Nash, Ranger, and Rory should have been on cloud nine after being rescued from a completely overcrowded animal shelter. Tragically, the 16-week-old puppies had lost their last bit of trust in humans at that point, as a viral video shows.

In the heartbreaking clip, you can see the pups' difficult transition to home life.

While Kels McDonough can be seen lying down on the floor of the bathroom, all three dogs cower behind the toilet in terror.

The poor animals don't yet trust the woman who has taken them into her home because they have no idea that their lives are about to change for the better.

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According to McDonough, the poor puppies had previously been found in a cage in the middle of the desert!

At the animal shelter, they narrowly escaped being put to sleep thanks to her.

"How could someone ever do this to you?" asked the Californian in her video, which now has almost a million clicks.

Thankfully, now the world looks very different to the puppies!

"They just couldn't understand what had happened to them in their short lives up until this point," McDonough told Newsweek.

"But, with love, patience and stillness they started to come back to life. We became a family, the four of us."

A lot has changed since the 31-year-old first brought the dogs home, however.

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"It was a really beautiful time to see them become the happy puppies they always deserved to be. It was a true testament that love changes everything, and all they needed was a chance," McDonough said.

While now only one of the four-legged friends lives with her, all of the puppies have been adopted into loving homes.

"Nash stayed with me, and is now my forever soul dog!!!" the Californian said.

"Of the three, he needed the most guidance and help in learning that the world can be a safe and beautiful place."