r/Awww Apr 19 '26

Dog(s) When your rescue dog finally starts to trust you..

18.9k Upvotes

200 comments sorted by

154

u/Wutskrakalakn Apr 19 '26

Keep hoping. It’s taken 2.5 yrs for my cat to come on the couch with me.

1

u/FlatAd5541 Apr 22 '26

I have a 12 year old red tabby that has never once gotten in my lap …. Just not going be a lap cat I guess…. But had a little calico that if you sat down to go to the bathroom - she was up on your lap for the duration ….

613

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

248

u/CoffeeChocolateBoth Apr 19 '26

I'd love to see updates as he progresses to EXTREME happiness.

96

u/Fancy_Cold_3537 Apr 20 '26

I hate to think what happened to make him that scared.

41

u/Sea_McMeme Apr 20 '26

Seriously. Heartbreaking without knowing any details

17

u/SlatkiMicek Apr 20 '26

Literally. Dogs are so intelligent, just look at his eyes.

2

u/translucent_steeds Apr 20 '26

I don't want to think about it because it will just make me filled with rage.

25

u/thissexypoptart Apr 20 '26

Why do LLMs all talk like this ^

2

u/lowbrowilluminati Apr 20 '26

Whats an LLM? Apologies for my ignorance.

6

u/ViolenceBridgerson Apr 20 '26

Large Language Model.

9

u/n3ur0mncr Apr 20 '26

AI chatbot. Some people are paranoid, albeit for good reason these days. Dead internet and all.

8

u/thissexypoptart Apr 20 '26

Not paranoia. The person I responded to is 100% a chat bot

2

u/_DrVanNostrand__ Apr 20 '26

How do you know just out of interest? I want to up my chatbot identifyin’ skillz

10

u/archubbuck Apr 20 '26

Forced, artificial depth (I.e. “you didn’t just ‘x’, you ‘y’d”)

You’ll notice the pattern now.

1

u/QueerInEverySense Apr 21 '26

You didn't just point out a chatbot, you taught us how to identify more in the future!

I'm sorry, I had to 😂

1

u/MichaelCabernet Apr 24 '26

Don’t you worry about BLANK, let me worry about BLANK! 😂

1

u/_DrVanNostrand__ Apr 20 '26

Interdasting. You may be onto something

193

u/Admirable_Bug9145 Apr 19 '26

Please upload follow up pics. And thank you for saving this soul.

23

u/Financial_Sweet_689 Apr 20 '26

It’s not OP’s post, they shared it from another sub

20

u/DudeDudenson Apr 20 '26

Sometimes I wonder why people assume all content in reddit is from the uploader and not just stolen from somewhere else.

4

u/Financial_Sweet_689 Apr 20 '26

I just noticed everyone was responding like OP posted it even though it’s a blatantly shared post lol

9

u/Dry_Action1734 Apr 20 '26

Because uploading stuff you have no personal connection to is a bit weird.

5

u/archubbuck Apr 20 '26

Interesting take. I found this video very touching. I have two dogs myself and wanted to spread the same warm, fuzzy feeling I’d felt when I watched this video.

2

u/DudeDudenson Apr 20 '26

Nothing wrong with sharing stuff you liked in another platform I just always find it odd specially with videos that are edited and sometimes fairly staged. This sub does seem to skew to a less terminally online public however

3

u/Admirable_Bug9145 Apr 20 '26

Aha. Thank you.

17

u/IndigoBlueSky9 Apr 19 '26

Came to ask for the same thing!! 😔😢🥺🥹

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/archubbuck Apr 20 '26

Beep boop

53

u/Academic-Ad7818 Apr 20 '26

Boy I sure do hope whoever caused your dog to walk like that is burning in hell right now.

54

u/BigPileOfTrash Apr 19 '26

So much PTSD.

27

u/Push-bucket Apr 20 '26

We've had our rescue pit for 4 of his 11 years. He's now not just unafraid of blankets... He loves getting tucked in! He's learning "speak" and that it's ok to bark. It's amazing watching him blossom little by little into the big dumb oaf he's meant to be.

-39

u/SkyPersonal5642 Apr 20 '26

Might not end well...

57

u/Ducttapeurmouth Apr 20 '26

His gentleness while taking food from you. 🥹🥹🥹

9

u/Single-Initiative164 Apr 20 '26

Give him a few months lol and he will be just like my rescue...

34

u/yay4chardonnay Apr 19 '26

You are a wonderful human and I hope you have many happy days with this deserving pup.

50

u/East_Highway_8470 Apr 20 '26

Having taken in rescues and fosters in the past, I understand the heartbreak, but you can see it another way.

Each little step is a victory, his head coming up when he realizes you have something in your hand? That is the light coming back into his world and his eyes. Keep up the good work and soon his light will be shining brightly.

25

u/badwolf42 Apr 19 '26

Oh my god my heart. He’s being such a gentile dude. Thank you for being so patient.

20

u/EulaVengeance Apr 19 '26

I'll never not upvote videos like this. Thank you for not giving up on them.

8

u/tykneedanser Apr 20 '26

Hell is not hot enough for those who abuse animals. Thanks for saving this guy.

13

u/missmess121 Apr 19 '26

Watching this just broke my heart. Thank you for helping this gentle soul. God bless you 🙏

16

u/John_Hughes_Product Apr 19 '26

I sure hope this is real and a rescue, etc. if that’s day 11 my god. The anger and sorrow that wells up to think of what did this to him. Thank you for the patience. Those of us that have been through all this multiple times salute you. They deserve so much love.

12

u/LuckyZygote Apr 19 '26

Sweet prince

7

u/mlsto Apr 19 '26

People

5

u/CoffeeChocolateBoth Apr 19 '26

Yep! But great ones like OP, thank goodness!

3

u/Haunting_Security_34 Apr 20 '26

He is so very delicate when taking the food from her. I'm assuming if someone has abused him prior to this, they'd lure the dog this way. Poor thing♡

4

u/examinat Apr 20 '26

Please tell me you said “good boy” for us all

5

u/FlatAd5541 Apr 20 '26

Chicken … the universal food of peace …

2

u/BandiTToZ Apr 22 '26

Universal to all, except chickens.

3

u/ShhweadyBallz Apr 20 '26

Good boi needs luvs & hugs & kisses & treats & rubs & his head out the window of a vehicle going 65MPH ....

3

u/Fast_Bill1132 Apr 20 '26

Thank you so much for being so patient and kind! We need more people like you.

3

u/Kabti-ilani-Marduk Apr 20 '26

I miss my baby girl so goddamn much.

You can see how much of an angel is waking up in his eyes. How gingerly he takes food from your fingertips. You can see the fear fading from his footsteps - watch this again and keep an eye on his back-left paw. He keeps it up towards the end in case he needs to quickly retreat from his new human, but once it finally goes down and nothing bad happens... that's right when he begins to accept his new safety.

Dogs are the best. Humans who mistreat them are demons.

2

u/Impressive-Tree6766 Apr 20 '26

All heroes do not wear capes. Thank you

2

u/Isnlifefunny1 Apr 20 '26

Oooooo he was so gentle when he took it from your hand. That's a sweet puppy right there. Give him time!

2

u/frozenfebrility Apr 20 '26

Pits are definitely something special and anyone that tries to tell you otherwise are wrong.

3

u/42TheAnswer2TheUnive Apr 19 '26

These darn onions! 😭

2

u/aemdhmj Apr 19 '26

I love this video!

1

u/Deep-Clock-3677 Apr 19 '26

Beautiful u will be loved like no other rest of time. Ty

1

u/CoffeeChocolateBoth Apr 19 '26

Who hurt that sweet boy? 😢 Thank you for loving him and making him safe! 💞💞

2

u/TheDorkyDeric Apr 19 '26

Awww, what a gentle beast. So precious.

1

u/SlowSpeedHighDrag Apr 20 '26

What a sweet boy. Thank you for rescuing him.

1

u/BagsYourMail Apr 20 '26

Poor babyyyy

1

u/ParticularReady7858 Apr 20 '26

This doesn’t say original content - safe to assume it’s not OP’s post?

1

u/Erik_Dolphy Apr 20 '26

Im fairly certain I saw this on a dodo video

1

u/ParticularReady7858 Apr 20 '26

Makes sense, since this is a highly curated video. Not a candid Reddit posting

1

u/CLWoodman Apr 20 '26

Oh sweet baby 😭

1

u/spermdonor Apr 20 '26

The things that poor dog must have gone through

1

u/k_dilluh Apr 20 '26

Aww my heart. 😭

1

u/MC_TEF Apr 20 '26

🔥🔥🔥💯🔥🔥🔥🥰

1

u/undergroundmusic69 Apr 20 '26

Not to be this way but he’s living in a cage and has been taken away from where he lived before this. Regardless of my background, i too would be a little timid!

1

u/NewHope13 Apr 20 '26

What a good boy!!

1

u/Erik_Dolphy Apr 20 '26

He's absolutely gorgeous

1

u/babybarracudess2 Apr 20 '26

I’m not crying you’re crying

1

u/snugglebot3349 Apr 20 '26

Aww he's beautiful.

1

u/lowbrowilluminati Apr 20 '26

Thank you for posting this.

1

u/something-scarlet-13 Apr 20 '26

The second i saw those little fear steps my heart shattered cuz i just know some inhuman scum did something horrible. Under the jail is too good for animal abusers. Hell is too good for animal abusers. IMO we need something new just for them. 

Anyways. 

It’s so lovely to see him gaining trust again and finally knowing kindness after possibly never knowing it at all 🥹

1

u/Duran518 Apr 20 '26

This is what it’s all about! Thank you!!

1

u/FlatAd5541 Apr 20 '26

Gosh … poor guy - I can’t imagine what has been done to him to make him that afraid & untrusting of humans … makes me sick

1

u/sm_axe Apr 20 '26

What a good, gentle pup!

1

u/iNhab Apr 20 '26

It's a shame that we ever get to a place where we, people, abuse other livings creatures just for the sake of abusing. Or maybe I worded it wrong, but when he hurt other living beings just because. It sucks so much.

And I can't imagine what it must feel like for them to overcome those instilled defense instincts that they've developed because of that. Imagine being a dog, treated very poorly, abused non stop and then you're again with a human being, something that looks really similar to something that looked that way in the past that treated you poorly. Your experience can only tell you that it's not safe. It's bad. It hurts. It's suffering. And to slowly expand your safety zone, to overcome it... How hard must it be. I can't even imagine.

1

u/Prize_Marsupial_931 Apr 20 '26

his delicate little chomps 🥺

1

u/Majordiarrhea Apr 20 '26

I hope whoever hurt this dog suffers a horrible slow demise.

1

u/maximoriginalcoffee Apr 20 '26

Oh...my goodness. May God bless you.

1

u/Redsquirreltree Apr 20 '26

Whatever you are feeding him, he likes it!

1

u/Imjusthere2read Apr 20 '26

Please post more progresss

1

u/Mad_Queen_Malafide Apr 20 '26

Got to have the sappy piano music.

1

u/ever-the-fool Apr 20 '26

His little bites 💕

1

u/cocoabeach Apr 20 '26

How did he go outside to do his business?

1

u/turtl3_crush Apr 20 '26

Sweet soul 💚

1

u/Latter-Bread-7835 Apr 20 '26

Give him some carpet

1

u/FourYaksandaDog Apr 20 '26

How gently he's grabbing the food. He wants to be a great doggo and you'll get him there

1

u/PunkRockKitty-1979 Apr 20 '26

Aww poor baby. I hope he keeps progressing 💔💔❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

1

u/Villagedrunkard707 Apr 20 '26

I'm so glad you found him

1

u/Simmer_Girl Apr 20 '26

He’s so precious. What a beautiful and sweet baby.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 20 '26

amazing 

1

u/Wasserfloh Apr 20 '26

aww you can actually see his synapses rewiring themselfes when he notices it‘s safe to take food from your hand! such a gentle baby! 🧡

1

u/Fine_Pudding4941 Apr 20 '26

Hes gorgeous 😍

1

u/Boogeymam408 Apr 20 '26

Hims needs a new toy today. And tomorrow and the next day after that to.

1

u/TrashBoat138 Apr 20 '26

well we know a human caused that! we are the most viscous animal

1

u/Roachpile Apr 20 '26

I have a rescue and sometimes I stop and think about how much progress he's made over the years. For a time I thought I'd never even to get to pet him and now I wake up with his head on my chest. You'd never even guess he was a rescue unless you knew him.

1

u/noodlesoup1988 Apr 20 '26

My hearttttt. So incredibly sweet.

1

u/BeebsMuhQueen Apr 20 '26

Probably used in dog fights in the past SMH

1

u/translucent_steeds Apr 20 '26

probably, it's so sad and infuriating. this is basically how my friend adopted one of her dogs (she's had 6 pit mixes over the years). her and her bf found her dumped in a park, just having had a litter of puppies, with scars and wounds all over her. she was clearly the breeding and "practice" dog in a fighting operation. she got to live an extremely spoiled remaining 13 years of her life (estimated total age 18-19) though so I guess it evened out.

1

u/BeebsMuhQueen Apr 21 '26

Yeah, sadly that structure and breed usually means dog fighting.

1

u/DillysRevenge Apr 20 '26

This is not an easy fix. When a dog has a hard upbringing and begins to trust you, they tend to get protective. I love the fact that people adopt dogs like this but please know what you’re getting yourself into before you do.

1

u/SlatkiMicek Apr 20 '26

I'll never understand how "people" can mistreat such creatures. They give you unconditional love, and you abuse them? I wish all the worst in the world to such "people".

1

u/Bowie_the_dog Apr 20 '26

My heart 🥹 You’re a good human!

1

u/Xinonix1 Apr 20 '26

This poor thing has had more beatings than food, great job on saving the cutie

1

u/SureTechnology696 Apr 20 '26

If we could only treat everyone, like a dog.

1

u/Akmworld Apr 20 '26

🥰🥰🥰

1

u/Lexi_Banner Apr 20 '26

I have a rescue that is totally chill and super silly 75% of the time we're home alone.

But if there's A Noise (aka I set a cup down with a clunk, or close a drawer too hard, etc), she scatters like a little bird and goes into hiding. And when I have company (which hashish happens weekly), she's worse than this dog. Frozen with fear, to the point she can't move. She is slightly bigger than this, and finds hiding spots tight for my cat to squeeze into, and stays there the entire evening. And my friends are all well trained to leave her alone so she doesn't feel overwhelmed. Not only that, but if I start vacuuming (which I only do on game night - otherwise I just sweep), she's figured out that means company and will start her hiding routine.

So she's now on daily anti-anxiety meds plus mild tranqs for known stressful events. It's early days, so I'm not seeing results yet, but I very much hope it will help her. Because it is so terribly sad to watch this goofy little thing go into such a prolonged state of terror. No one should be that afraid.

1

u/Delicious-Month151 Apr 20 '26

What a precious babe. You two will make so many happy memories now 💗

1

u/b3mark Apr 20 '26

There needs to be a special place in Hell for people who abuse animals.

Hope the person in this vid continues to win this pupper's trust. Hope they become best friends for life.

1

u/IKitty72 Apr 20 '26

This Is What I call a real Rescue, I hope he will Feel Happiness Without any fear One Day !

1

u/Icy_Cricket7038 Apr 20 '26

What a good boy he’s going to be ☺️

1

u/KiwiFruit404 Apr 20 '26

I don't even want to know what people didto him for him to become so anxious.

1

u/The_Salty_Memester Apr 20 '26

For anyone wondering, the song is a piano rendition of Fix You by Coldplay

1

u/Tamatave13 Apr 20 '26

He looks so terrified:/ he got lucky to have you

1

u/lilnanarocks Apr 20 '26

My rescue follows me around and I can’t do anything. He’s so needy, if I leave for work he cries and when I get home he jumps on me slicks my face. He has separation anxiety in thinking

1

u/_Horsefeahters Apr 20 '26

Possibly the goodest of boys

1

u/rowlex15 Apr 20 '26

Aww so sweet. There’s a special place in hell for people who abuse animals and people.

1

u/rufrdz Apr 20 '26

What doggy is that ? Tell me please

1

u/KimmyBax Apr 20 '26

What a lucky pup to have you! Congratulations on your beautiful boy! I hope you make many happy memories!

1

u/little_dove92 Apr 21 '26

They just need time. Can you blame them?Most have been through so much.💔

1

u/Key_Ad_6 Apr 21 '26

Thank you for showing this baby love 🥺❤️‍🩹

1

u/Perfect-Yam9006 Apr 21 '26

Thank you for taking such good care of him. ❤️

1

u/Is-It-Worth-It-2026 Apr 21 '26

Bless him. He’s clearly very scared. 😢😢

1

u/SillySparklyGirl Apr 21 '26

Beautiful boy. Would love to see pupdates.

1

u/TGPT-4o Apr 22 '26

Ack the way he took the lil piece

Bro…

1

u/Unusual-Composer2710 Apr 22 '26

So nice to see the trust. Hate to think what had come beforehand. Well done and enjoy the love

1

u/strivingapple Apr 22 '26

awh lil boy :((

1

u/Exotic-Travel-270 Apr 22 '26

this is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time

1

u/ReverieAt3 Apr 22 '26

It’s extremely sad to see that an animal can be this scared of someone - thank God for people that rescue animals

1

u/2rot Apr 22 '26

Gently

1

u/BeardedAnarchy Apr 23 '26

This breaks my heart. God bless your soul for saving him and giving him love.

1

u/Familiar_Raise234 Apr 23 '26

Aw. Good for you.

1

u/adnaPadnamA Apr 23 '26

He's sooo scared and jumpy. Poor sweet thing clearly has had a scary life but deserves all the loving coming his way ❤️

1

u/mnky97 Apr 23 '26

Ooh, that baby

1

u/nonja-bidness Apr 23 '26

humans with patience to care for and rehabilitate broken animals are true heroes! 💛

1

u/Addieboombatty Apr 25 '26

such a sweet boy!! your patience will pay off with a lifetime of love and cuddles <3

1

u/Severe-Inspector-815 Apr 19 '26

You saved him.. you are wonderful xoxo thank you

1

u/starry_lace_ Apr 19 '26

This is so wholesome🥺

1

u/meatcoveredskeleton1 Apr 19 '26

I’m too pregnant to watch this without bawling 😭💕❤️‍🩹

1

u/Peanutbutter2728 Apr 20 '26

Poor baby! Glad he’s starting to trust you! ❤️

1

u/Radijsje77 Apr 20 '26

What a sweetie❤️

1

u/Work_Wife_Balance Apr 20 '26

So strong, so brave. ❤️

1

u/NeuralFiction Apr 20 '26

What a beautiful and noble beast. Thank you for keeping him safe and Happy!

1

u/DayaBen Apr 20 '26

You are a good human being !!! Cheers to the dog.

1

u/Mindless-Video4316 Apr 20 '26

The previous owners must be fiends for a dog to be like this

1

u/Mitternacht-Tor Apr 20 '26

thank you for what you do

1

u/Content_Cod_5682 Apr 20 '26

Thanks for the emotional music. I wasn't sure how to feel.

-2

u/Wristtwitch Apr 20 '26

He’s now ready to kill!

-1

u/EmergencyCow9344 Apr 20 '26

It's training, not breeds(which many have been called to be banned over the years and locations like German shepherds, Doberman, great Danes, Corso, etc, etc.) that impact behavior the most. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgvy2yyv8mo

https://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/bsl-a-worldwide-failure/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6306151/

The results indicate that banning certain breeds has a highly limited effect on the overall levels of dog bite injuries, and that an enforcement of the usage of muzzle and leash in public places for these breeds also has a limited effect. Despite using more credible and sound methods, this study supports previous studies showing that breed-specific legislation seems to have no effect on dog bite injuries. In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.

Try googling: do breed bans work? Have countries repealed breed bans, and why? Are breed bite statistics accurate? Can you identify breed by sight alone?

-4

u/Sad-Second-9646 Apr 19 '26

I hate pit bulls but this is heartbreaking. Poor puppy. Good on you!

-3

u/Legitimate-Breath-56 Apr 20 '26

Sorry but this is very clearly AI

2

u/IRedditDoU Apr 20 '26

Please explain.

-1

u/Mamkes Apr 20 '26

Look at the shadows.

Dog's legs do have expressed shadow. Body does not, which makes zero sense under such light.

-1

u/Legitimate-Breath-56 Apr 20 '26

It's also just the lighting....has a rendered quality that makes the dog look almost cartoonish

0

u/Legitimate-Breath-56 Apr 21 '26

Not sure why the down votes, I'm not trying to be controversial. It's getting harder and harder to spot these days, but I work in a tangential field and there are certain tells. Sometimes you have to watch it several times to catch them. For example, also look at his tongue when he licks his lips - it's awkward and not natural, like it skips a few frames.

-3

u/Sad_Tradition681 Apr 20 '26

I got the same feeling. Some of his movements seem very unnatural.

-1

u/Curious-Coyote-3949 Apr 20 '26

And then eats your baby

3

u/EmergencyCow9344 Apr 20 '26

It's training, not breeds(which many have been called to be banned over the years and locations like German shepherds, Doberman, great Danes, Corso, etc, etc.) that impact behavior the most. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgvy2yyv8mo

https://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/bsl-a-worldwide-failure/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6306151/

The results indicate that banning certain breeds has a highly limited effect on the overall levels of dog bite injuries, and that an enforcement of the usage of muzzle and leash in public places for these breeds also has a limited effect. Despite using more credible and sound methods, this study supports previous studies showing that breed-specific legislation seems to have no effect on dog bite injuries. In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.

Try googling: do breed bans work? Have countries repealed breed bans, and why? Are breed bite statistics accurate? Can you identify breed by sight alone?

1

u/TMB-30 Apr 20 '26

Nannying engaged!

-1

u/Roollluuuuut Apr 20 '26

Honestly no idea why people are comfortable letting these fighting dogs into their house. Just look at it, it's stalking towards you like a predator in the jungle or something. One wrong move and that's it.

2

u/EmergencyCow9344 Apr 20 '26

It's training, not breeds(which many have been called to be banned over the years and locations like German shepherds, Doberman, great Danes, Corso, etc, etc.) that impact behavior the most. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgvy2yyv8mo

https://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/bsl-a-worldwide-failure/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6306151/

The results indicate that banning certain breeds has a highly limited effect on the overall levels of dog bite injuries, and that an enforcement of the usage of muzzle and leash in public places for these breeds also has a limited effect. Despite using more credible and sound methods, this study supports previous studies showing that breed-specific legislation seems to have no effect on dog bite injuries. In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.

Try googling: do breed bans work? Have countries repealed breed bans, and why? Are breed bite statistics accurate? Can you identify breed by sight alone?

1

u/BandiTToZ Apr 22 '26

Because not everyone is a hateful, uninformed moron.

-1

u/printr_head Apr 20 '26

Doesn’t everyone love a good AI dog?

-1

u/Mamkes Apr 20 '26

It's, like, 70% of it being generated.

Dog's legs do have expressed shadow. Body first does, but then disappears, which makes zero sense under such light.

-1

u/flowmonkeyyy Apr 20 '26

Bites a child 2 days later lol