Years of neglect takes its toll on some animals. They become scared and worried and start to doubt anyone who comes near them.
If these dogs are lucky enough to get taken to a shelter, the chances of them of finding a new home are slim. They often need a lot of care and attention, some even need medical help and training.
When Benji the dog was picked up as a stray he was a nervous dog and kept snapping at anyone who tried to get near him.
Staff thought that rehoming him would be hard as the rehabilitation process would be tough, until Jessica Williams saw his picture and knew he needed someone right away.
Jessica Williams and her boyfriend, Jared, had just moved into their new home and Jessica couldn’t wait to get a dog.
She started looking online at shelters and dogs that desperately needed a home. As soon as she saw Benji’s sad face she knew she’d found their dog.
Nervous and scared of everything
Benji had been picked up as a stray in Los Angeles and taken to a big city shelter.
A flea allergy had left him with parts of his fur missing, he was so nervous and scared of everything.
“He was at the shelter for 10 days and wasn’t handling it well,” Jessica told The Dodo. “He would snarl and snap at people as they walked by. I had never seen a sadder dog and knew we couldn’t leave him there.”
Staff tried to deter the eager couple
So the couple made the six-hour drive from their home in Sacramento to Los Angeles.
When the couple arrived at the shelter and told staff they were interested in adopting Benji staff explained that he may not be the right dog for them.
“The shelter also told us he wasn’t friendly and refused to take us into a calm waiting area to get to know him because ‘he wouldn’t be a dog that would come over to us to be cuddly.’ We knew that he had a high possibility of being euthanized and didn’t want him to die,” Jessica told The Dodo.
When the couple met Benji, it only confirmed their desire to adopt him even more and they ignored the staff’s warnings, signed the papers and took him home.
Beni was nervous during the car ride and remained withdrawn and nervous when Jessica and Jared introduced him to his new home.
But after a few days of love and encouragement something amazing happened.
Personality changed overnight
Benji realized that he was in a safe environment with people who loved him and he started to come out of his shell.
Just three weeks later Jessica describes Benji as a “goofball” who loves to play with his toys.
He has become a much-loved and happy member of the family.
This story is the perfect example of how some dogs just need one chance with a loving owner for them to change overnight.
Benji was scared at the shelter, unsure as to what was happening and was understandably snappy. It’s unfair to judge them based on how they are at the shelter.
Please share to pay tribute to Jessica and Jared who had faith in this sweet dog when others didn’t and gave him a reason to smile again.
