When staff members from Forgotten Dogs Rescue pulled Rambo from a shelter and placed him with a foster family, they had no idea how much the pittie mix would love the feeling of freedom.

It was raining outside, but that wasn’t going to stop him. After 175 days, Rambo was finally out of the shelter, and he was so happy that he started running and dancing in the rain.

“I cried happy tears when his foster mom sent me the video,” Julie Saraceno, a shelter volunteer, told The Dodo. “That was his second day in his foster home, and the absolute joy in his eyes and the feeling of freedom was wonderful to watch.”

When Rambo went from a small concrete kennel to a large grass-covered yard, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The young dog with beautiful, big eyes has an exuberance that shows. He loves other dogs and cats, and while he’s certainly high energy, he’s also always willing to snuggle on the couch.

“He is the sweetest guy to the people he considers his crew,” Saranceno said.

Rambo, who was originally found roaming the streets of Kennewick, Washington, as a stray, is working every day to become more confident and less fearful. Through his work with a trainer, he has learned obedience, how to meet strangers and lots of other skills that have made him a good boy.

Once Rambo finishes his training, he’ll be ready to meet potential fits for his forever home, ideally one where there’s space for him to exercise all his energy.

Pretty soon, Rambo won’t have to jump at every opportunity to get outside. He’ll have a yard — and a family — all his own.