Every year, thousands of dogs are rescued or surrendered in animal shelters. Most of these dogs have been so traumatized that they find it hard to trust humans and are scared of everything. These dogs have become so used to abuse that they tend to associate humans with pain.
Thankfully, there are quite a lot of people who are willing to take in these dogs and help them realize that humans can be trusted. A dog named Forrest was surrendered to an animal shelter called Angela’s Ark along with 30 other dogs. The founder of the organization, Angela, decided to foster Forrest and help him transition.
However, Angela found that Forrest was so terrified of everything that it was difficult for him to even get out of the crate. Forrest wasn’t comfortable around Angela at all and would cower inside his crate whenever Angela went near him or even when she stared in his direction for too long. Nothing seemed to work for Forrest. Angela tried to win Forrest’s trust by throwing treats in his crate but Forrest would not budge at all.
When Angela was finally able to put a leash on Forrest to take him out on a walk, Forrest was so scared that he froze. Angela had to do a double leash in case Forrest tries to escape. All Forrest wanted to do was hide in the bushes. When Forrest found a spot in the bushes, he would just curl up and lay down.
Eventually, Angela decided to take her dogs out in the yard with leashes to show Forrest that leashes are okay and also to help him gain more confidence. Seeing the other dogs running around in the yard worked and Forrest just joined Angela’s dogs to play and chase each other around. Angela was so happy to see Forrest relax for the first time and have fun.
Weeks went by and Angela saw Forrest change. One of the milestones that Angela could never forget was when Forrest just lied down next to her while she was working and completely relaxed. After a few more weeks with Angela, Forrest finally found a forever home with a family that understood him. Here’s a heartwarming video showing Forrest coming out of his shell.
Video Source The Dodo via YouTube
