Our dogs are so dear to us, sometimes it can be hard to imagine them being aggressive or violent. Sometimes, though, they are forced to be aggressive when it's a matter of survival - and that's what it was for this pup. Survival.
He was living in Johannesburg in an open prison system and was taken to the SPCA after reports of him being violent and hurting other dogs. They were ready to write him off as a lost cause and put him down. But what he didn't know was that a single woman would change his life forever.
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The first time she saw him she couldn't even go in the kennel where he was being kept. Nor the second, nor the third. She waited until he was ready to trust her, and she had to be so, so patient.
As the Dog Owner’s Guide explains, an alpha dog is the leader of the pack and makes the decisions for the rest of the pack. He was used to being the alpha, and she had to wait until he trusted her enough to let her be the pack leader.
Finally, after weeks of waiting, she went into the kennel. And in a stunning moment, after sizing her up, he walked over and sat down in a pose of submission, relinquishing control to her.
She even had to wait to touch him, because he saw hands as threatening and had only known them to cause pain. But after a week, she called him over and was able to pet his head without him hesitating for a second.
She took him home to foster and ended up adopting him for life. As Pet Finder explains, someone who fosters a dog is usually a placeholder until the dog’s permanent family is ready when the shelter is overfull, but in this case, she chose to keep him. She brought him home to England and changed his life forever. It's amazing what one small act of kindness, patience, and trust can do.
Don't forget to watch the video to see his amazing transformation, and share it with friends!
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