Rescuing an animal is something that takes time. You have to first gain the animal’s trust, encouraging them to keep returning to you until you can take them in as one of your own.
But when it comes to waiting for an animal to see that you’re on their side, how patient could you be? Could you persevere for an entire year?
That’s exactly what one resilient couple did when they discovered a starving stray dog on their property.
Joe, one half of the couple, had noticed the dog poking his head out of the woods. He knew that his area was a hotspot for dumping dogs, and he suspected that this one had suffered the same fate.
When they first found him, Joe and his partner, Marla, could only stand back and let the dog bark at them – a fearful attempt to intimidate his wannabe rescuers.
Thankfully, Joe and Marla were not the sorts of people who would give in that easily!
Joe figured that if the dog was too afraid to come to them, he’d make sure his stray buddy didn’t go hungry – by bringing food to him.
Eventually, Joe reached the point where the dog felt comfortable enough to eat out of his hand, but he’d always scarper pretty fast once he had the tasty morsel in his mouth.
The couple suspected that the dog, who they’d named Scooby because of his resemblance to Scooby-Doo, had been abused. After multiple failed attempts to catch him, they knew that this was going to be a difficult rescue.
Winter came, and Scooby slept outside in the snow, despite the couple’s calls.
Then spring passed, and the summer season arrived. One day, on a walk around their home, Marla was calling Scooby when he finally appeared out of nowhere.
They had no idea where Scooby had been all winter, but he looked a little happier and more assured, and was comfortable getting closer to Marla and Joe.
Not that they knew it at the time, but at that very moment, Scooby had adopted them both – they didn’t have a say in it!
By late summer, Scooby had started coming up to the couple’s home. Though he had more confidence, he was still a little skittish.
As a final push, Joe decided to let out his own dog, Samson, to meet Scooby. The pair immediately hit it off, becoming dog buddies from the moment they clapped eyes on one another.
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And that was that: Samson convinced Scooby to come inside his home, and the rest was history!
Marla was able to get Scooby in the car and take him to the vets, who estimated him to be around a year and a half old.
Thankfully, Scooby was in good health. He was able to return home and settle into his new life with Joe, Marla and Samson.
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Speaking to The Dodo about finally convincing Scooby to become a part of his family, Joe said:
“I think the fact that he has people to love him makes him feel at home and safe.”
It certainly looks like Scooby has found his forever home. Thanks to Joe and Marla’s refusal to give up on the little guy, he’s set to have a long, happy life ahead of him.
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You can learn more about the story of Scooby’s rescue in the video below.
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