Abused dogs go through an incredible amount of trauma and neglect at the hands of some truly horrible people.
This can understandably lead these poor fur babies to not have much trust in humans, and it often takes many rescue dogs a long time to be able to properly interact with humans.
This was most certainly the case with the poor pooch below, but luckily, this story has a happy ending.
Meet Phoenix, a badly abused dog from Crete, Greece.
Authorities were first alerted to Phoenix’s mistreatment when concerned bystanders made a call concerning an abused dog. When the police arrived at the property, it was clear that the owner was violent.
They found poor Phoenix chained up, and he was so terrified that he was acting very aggressively, barking and trying to bite people’s hands.
The police were unsure on how to best handle Phoenix, so they called for the help of a professional.
Takis is the owner of a rescue center in Crete that is home to more than 350 dogs and 30 cats, four goats, and sheep, and he was more than willing to take Phoenix on.
He took Phoenix to his shelter, but the terrified dog was too scared to leave his cage. Heart-breakingly, you can see the extent of his injuries on his nose. He must have been in a lot of pain.
Takis tried to show Phoenix what it was like to be petted, but Phoenix thought that he was being attacked, so he tried to bite at Takis’ gloved hand and barked loudly.
Violence was all he had known and he was bravely trying to defend himself.
Takis tried again to get him out of the box, but Phoenix backed into a corner. He was scared and thought human hands were there only to beat him. But Takis doesn’t give up.
“We will try again later and we will be very good friends soon, yes?” he says to Phoenix.
And he’s right! Later that same afternoon, Takis managed to touch Phoenix and show him some affection. In just a matter of hours, Phoenix had stopped barking and was sitting calmly as Taxis petted him.
He had finally given in. All he ever wanted was to be treated with love.
Phoenix began to enjoy being petted. He was smiling and pushing his head onto Takis’ hand. Every so often, if Takis withdrew his hand, the frightened little guy would give a bark. The poor thing just didn’t know how to handle the affection and was confused.
After a while, Phoenix even offered his paw for Takis to shake. A clever little trick that he had evidently learned at some point in his life.
Takis was truly mind-blown by what a few hours of love and affection could do for Phoenix. “This is amazing,” he said.
It took Phoenix some time to learn that a hand doesn’t mean pain. Eventually, Takis could stroke the pooch with an ungloved hand and Phoenix wouldn’t try to bite.
Amazingly, he had adjusted quickly and was soon getting on well with other dogs, cats, and humans. Takis said:
“He loves me, I hug him, we play together…Look at him! We are such good friends.”
The video ends with Phoenix running around happily with some other rescue dogs. Occasionally he runs up to some humans and allows them to pet him.
It is evident from his smiling face that he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Phoenix went through an amazing transformation and this story just goes to show the amazing recovery that an animal can make when they are given love.
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