The Real Life Rescue Dog Who Inspired A Heartwarming Video Game

<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151989014955034&set=a.10151989013320034.893671.786285033&type=3&permPage=1" target="_blank">Facebook/Kevin Cancienne</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151989014955034&set=a.10151989013320034.893671.786285033&type=3&permPage=1" target="_blank">Facebook/Kevin Cancienne</a></p>

Life has turned around for a rescue dog living in "unsafe conditions" in New York City - she is now the star of her very own video game.

The man who designed and developed "Home Free" also happens to be the dog's owner.

Kevin Cancienne first met a young dog named Princess eight years ago when she was saved from a life of neglect in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. "I fostered her for a few weeks [and] walked her around with an 'Adopt Me' vest and everything," Cancienne told The Dodo.

Despite actively trying not to get too close to the dog he was fostering, Cancienne eventually conceded to his heartstrings. "I'd fallen in love," he said.

Princess became a permanent member of his family.

YouTube/Kevin Cancienne

"We've spent 20,000 years together with dogs: molding them to understand us better and to adapt to our world," said Cancienne. "I think that's what's interesting to me about a dog alone in a city."

As you see, Princess greatly inspired the plot and look of the game's main character. But she wasn't the only influence for Cancienne, who noted how the story of the famous Japanese stray Hachiko got him to start "wondering what [the world] all looked like from a dog's perspective."

"I think video games have a fair bit of potential in getting people to try out other perspectives," he said, so he got to work and used Princess as a model for reasons "partly out of love, partly out of laziness," according to the developer.

With a brown spot on each eye and a healthy zest for life, Princess helped Cancienne as he sketched her canine body in its digital form.

"She got a bit tired of me grabbing her paws sometimes to figure out how the heck dog legs work," he said.

In the video game, you, as the stray dog, can roam the city streets, snatch food from local vendors and make friends with the other dogs in the city. The game's trailer provides a glimpse into the joyful and sometimes heartbreaking emotions of a stray dog's life.

click to play video

When asked on Thursday how he felt about finally releasing his work, Cancienne seemed to be mostly relieved. "You're putting stuff that's mostly been confined to your bedroom out into the world," he said. "And if the world doesn't want it, well, maybe you just wasted a couple years of your life."

In just a single day, Cancienne's Kickstarter has raised over $30,000 out of a $50,000 goal.

To watch the "Home Free" trailer and donate to Cancienne's work, visit his Kickstarter campaign, here.