The saying goes that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. And while the repetition of the saying might lend itself to being a cliché, I can assure you it is very much not. Countless abused dogs around the world prove just that whenever they undergo rehabilitation. Just like this one.
This dog in Crete was rescued by police after witnesses reported animal mistreatment. Its story is a common one that’s still worth hearing again.
It would appear that those reports about mistreatment were on the mark. The dog was clearly on-edge constantly and not fond of being approached. When the police retrieved the dog, it was all snarls and bared teeth from inside the cage.
Mistreatment was understating things a bit. The dog had endured legitimate abuse from its past owner, and there was no doubt about this anymore.
They needed to help the dog, surely. The problem was, they didn’t know how. Police are trained to do many things, but playing therapist to a dog isn’t one of them. Naturally, they had to find someone for the job. Sounds like a job for Takis Shelter, a rescue organization in Greece with a pretty great track record run by Theoklitos Preostakis (the shelter’s namesake is his nickname, “Takis”).
Being defensive and wanting to be left alone are telltale signs of abuse. The way the dog barked and showed its teeth were more in-line with fear instead of anger.
And to hammer the point home even more, there were noticeable small whimpers in between its “Get away from me!” barks.
Like Takis points out, this is the mark of a dog that has only known violent hands all its life. As far as it knows, any hands extended towards it are there to beat and hit him.
So Takis did wait a bit and returned to check back on the dog. These things take time, and his line of work taught him that very well. You can’t rush a healing process after all.
It looks like Takis guessed right.
A couple of hours later, he returned to pet and caress the dog again. This time, there was no retaliation. It looks like the dog realized Takis wasn’t going to hit him.
The scene that played out was somber, sweet, and also sad. When Phoenix felt the non-hostile, loving gesture from Takis, it made him feel something that he hadn’t felt in ages. Love.
With a bit of love from Takis pets, Phoenix already seemed a very different dog than he was hours earlier. He had forgotten what it was like to be held and touched with affection.
But now, Phoenix got a second chance thanks to the people who helped him. Takis is a hero to these dogs, even if it’s just his job. Phoenix now runs around the shelter approaching visitors and playing with the other dogs, much like any normal dog. No one would have guessed that he was barking and snapping at people not too long ago.
It just goes to show that a dog’s behavior just reflects the people around it.
If you ever know of an animal being abused or mistreated, don’t hesitate to call authorities to come and help. It could save a life, and give them a new one too. Of course, we should do the same for people as well.
Witness how a bit of love changed everything for Phoenix in the full video below. Please share this article too so more can see!
