Not all rescued dogs are friendly. Often, the very fact that they need to be rescued means that they were probably mistreated in some way by their previous owners. That’s what happened to a dog named Phoenix who was rescued by Takis Animal Shelter in Crete, Greece.
Unfortunately, the abuse caused the pup to become very skeptical of new people.
Phoenix’s story was shared on Taki’s YouTube channel, and in the last two months, it has received over 4 million views.
The clip shows exactly what took place when they welcomed the distraught pup onto their property.
It all started when the police responded to a call about a dog being mistreated.
When they arrived, they found Phoenix, a beautiful black and gray dog with some very visible teeth. As they approached, the dog responded extremely aggressively and they didn’t know what to do with him.
They decided to ask Takis for help. Rescue volunteers soon learned why Phoenix was so upset.
It turns out, he had spent his entire life in chains.
“He was scared and he thought that human hands were only there to beat him,” the video description explains.
They tried to pet him wearing gloves and Phoenix wasn’t having it.
He immediately latched on with his sharp teeth. However, Takis wasn’t about to give up on the nervous animal so easily. Phoenix had no idea at the time, but his life was about to change.
“We will try again later and we will be very good friends soon, yeah?” the man said to the dog.
Takis is a no-chain, no-cage, no-kill shelter located on a 33,000 square meter olive farm.
It’s a huge enclosed property with plenty of room for pups to run around.
After Phoenix arrived at his new home, he immediately began to calm down and relax.
Soon, he was even allowing workers to pet him on the head. It was a big surprise. For the first time in his life, he was surrounded by people who really cared about him.
“Aww, he’s giving his paw! You can do it again, come on, don’t bite me,” the man encouraged.
They continued to show the pup love and that’s all it took to completely change the angry dog’s attitude.
Deep down, Phoenix was actually a big softie. When the police first encountered him they never would have guessed.
“It took Phoenix some time to get used to the fact that a hand doesn’t mean pain,” the video description reads.
However, the dog quickly became friends with everyone on the property, including the cats.
It was a big shock as Phoenix’s previous owners said that he had killed cats before!
After a few days, Phoenix transformed into a completely different dog.
No longer did he show his teeth anytime that people approached him. Instead, he became much more likely to wag his tail and bend his head down encouraging people to pet him.
His behavior in the video was so heartwarming to watch. Even the owner of the shelter couldn’t believe how much Phoenix’s attitude had changed in such a short period of time.
“It’s Phoenix, the boy who was aggressive,” said the man. “He tried to bite me. Now he is doing great with everyone.”
When Takis came across Phoenix, the abused dog got a second chance at life. They saved him from the misery of constant chains and pain. Now, he never has to worry about anyone abusing him ever again.
Watch the full view of the rescued dog’s amazing transformation below.
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Source: Takis Shelter – About Page
