Rescue pupper spent years too scared to be touched—now he sleeps in a bed surrounded by love

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jun 18, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Love, it is an all consuming emotion. When you have it, you cannot help but be overcome by it, filling your extremities and making the world seem that little bit brighter around you. But when you do not have it, the emptiness is what consumes you, and it can feel as though you will never make your way back to love.

And this phenomenon is particularly powerful when a young soul is the subject of a lack of love. As is evidenced by this sweet pupper story, of a helpless canine child who needed love more than anything in the world, but had never been cared for in such a way and was not able to accept it. Thanks to the dedication and love that his forever family showed him, that soon became a problem of the past and now this cute doggo is a standing testimony to the power of love to change lives. 

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    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    NTION
    via kegfire via Adobe Stock
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    My dog, Indiana Bones, was listed on our local humane society's website. He was found on the streets, tested positive for heartworms, had inverted eyelashes that required surgery, was emaciated and did not trust humans. Apparently one of
    via u/Revan_IV
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    the intake vets wanted to put him down, but someone knew a woman that regularly fostered for this humane society that would take him in. She had an out-
    via u/Revan_IV
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    building on her property that was heated and cooled with walk-in kennels, lived on a farm outside of our city and had an enclosed area with a doggy door. She had
    via u/Revan_IV

  • Wow, it really makes you realize how tough the fostering game is. We all put so much emphasis on adopting doggos and giving them forever homes. But if you take a moment to consider what it takes to care for the doggos nobody wanted, out of your own pocket and with the looming thought that someone can come and adopt the canines under your care whenever they want. These people deserve medals. 

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    him for 2 years and he finally got used to existing with humans. She said she loved on him as much as he would let her but that she liked to keep the fosters outside of her actual home so that she doesn't get too attached.
    via u/Revan_IV

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    She was so close to bringing him in and just making him her dog, but then I showed up. The first visit was just my partner and I. He barely took a milkbone from us, but he did. Then we visited again
    via u/Revan_IV
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    with my beagle (she's since passed) and they got along really well. We said we'd give him a try and take him in. She had to drive him to our house after the vet did a physical exam. He belly-
    via u/Revan_IV
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    crawled into our house and went to the first corner in the basement and faced the wall for a few hours -- completely terrified. I
    via u/Revan_IV
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    coaxed him out with some hot dogs and over the following few days he began to explore the house and he stayed by my beagle's side.
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    She taught him how to be a part of a family. He is now fully adjusted to being with us. He's such a lover boy and is spoiled rotten. He's
    via u/Revan_IV

  • All is well that ends well eh? Life is certainly no piece of perfection, but that is what makes it life and what makes it so precious. Because those fleeting moments of pawfection become so utterly precious and we must learn to appreciate them, embrace them and remember them when times get tough.

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    my sweet old man. I'm so glad that the vet did not euthanize him. I'm so glad a woman was willing to foster him for 2 years. I'm so glad he's part of our family now.
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    Fingersmith30⚫ Years ago, the LA County Coroner's Office had a cadaver dog named Indiana Bones that had an impressive detection rate of 98%.
    via u/Revan_IV
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    Disclaimer: This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    Cheezburger Image 10518338048
    via Михаил Решетников via Adobe Stock
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    Nychthemeron ⚫ GSD/Pyr lol I tried to tell my MIL a story about a cadaver dog once, but she interrupted, completely bewildered and upset that the government was "keeping de l dogs around to use" It's not a dog cadaver! It's a cadaver dog!
    via u/Revan_IV
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    arewethreyet727 ⚫ 2 of mine are straight from a puppy mill auction. Disgusting what goes on. I saved 12 that weekend from going to unethical breeders.
    via u/Revan_IV
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    Another of my dogs was supposed be just another foster. The only thing we were told is that he would steal the lady owner's dirty underwear and chew them. She hated him and he was only 14 months old when I got him. He's very sensitive
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    to yelling. Took 6 months fostering to get him set to adopt out. Thought we had a good home, talked to the couple for a month, intense screening and knowing his little quirks, they wanted and adopted him. 2 months later they called the rescue, they didn't want him anymore.
    via u/Revan_IV
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    Turns out they completely ignored the 2 page write up on him. No questions asked, I drove 5 hrs to get him. Poor thing was verbally abused by the husband, possibly even hit. I couldn't
    via u/Revan_IV
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    let this ever happen to him again so he joined my house of 5 other dogs. He's the sweetest even with his little quirks.
    via u/Revan_IV

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bed pupper touch rescue dog reddit story scared years sleep love
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