While for some dogs, love is all they know, others, unfortunately, are not fortunate enough to know what that feels like.
Some dogs do not grow up in a happy and warm environment surrounded by loving humans. Rather, they are treated very poorly, neglected, and sometimes even abused. Because of this, many dogs are so afraid of people that they even flinch at any sudden move that they make.
It is up to we determined dog lovers to remind these doggos that they deserve a life filled with never-ending love and fun, and luckily, that is exactly what happened to the brave girl of today’s story.
Very Scared Doggo
When Iris, a beautiful rescue Pittie, first arrived at her foster home, she was so afraid that she didn’t even want to go inside of the house.
No matter if it was sunshine or pouring rain, Iris spent her days in the corner of the back yard, sitting behind a planter and not willing to move.
Her foster parents even decided to leave their back door open for a whole month, hoping that she would build up the courage to come in at her own pace.
„She would, like, come in and she would poke her head in, and then she would leave, and she would do this fifteen times,” Lauryn, her foster mom, told The Dodo.
It was also very difficult to take her for walks, as she was not trained to walk on a leash at all, making her foster parents carry her wherever she needed to go.
When Iris did eventually start spending time inside the house, she had a lot of difficulties adjusting. She simply refused to lay on any surface, so her foster mom decided to cover the floor with blankets.
She also, very cleverly, placed some treats underneath them, further encouraging this beautiful dog, and reminding her that this is her house, too.
“And then from there, I kind of upped the ante. And I would, like, you know, hug her, pet her more often,” she continued.
As affection was a very unknown factor in her life, Iris was quite confused as to what was going on when she received her snuggles.
However, she did not mind them at all. She even agreed to be picked up and placed on the couch for a more comfortable cuddle session. And, eventually, she started getting up there on her own.
Brand-New Dog
After a month in her foster home, Iris finally started coming out of her shell.
Her foster parents thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for her to meet their other dog, Max.
“Iris was just sitting there behind a tree and then Max was kind of looking at me like ‘Can I go see her or should I wait?’” she added
So, for the first couple of weeks, Max and Iris kept at a distance, sitting together, but doing absolutely nothing.
However, they did start to engage, and eventually became incredible friends who loved spending their time playing together.
“Out of nowhere, she just started doing these play-bows and barking. And I was just sitting there like ‘Oh my gosh, who is this dog?’ She was frolicking around our yard, pouncing around like this baby elephant,” said Lauryn.
Only three weeks after this incredible improvement, Iris hit another milestone, as she finally learned to walk on a leash.
As she completely transformed into a dog who adores spending her time with hoomans, Iris was finally ready to be adopted.
New Life
As they believed that Iris would do well with a family who already had a dog, her foster parents managed to find her a family who had exactly that.
Iris now not only has a loving family, but also an incredible doggo sister by the name of Clio.
“The first night, she jumped in the bed right away. She never even thought about it. Anywhere Clio is, she wants to be. If Clio is on the couch, she wants to be next to Clio,” Matt, her new dad, told The Dodo.
Just the fact that she jumped on the bed all on her own tells you enough of the improvement Iris made while staying with her fosters.
Thanks to the patience and efforts of her foster parents, Iris is finally living the life she deserved all along, surrounded by loving humans and a very playful, furry sister.
Sad News
Unfortunately, Iris’s parents shared heartbreaking news on her instagram profile, informing her followers that she had passed away.
“It has been very hard to watch, and we did everything we could to help her, but she took a turn for the worst and there was no happy ending in sight no matter what we did to help our beautiful, brave girl… We will not be sharing any more details than this, so please respect our privacy and know that we considered every other option and that this was all we could do to help Iris,” the post wrote.
It makes me incredibly sad to think that she didn’t know about love in her early life, but at least she got to find out what a beautiful thing it is later on.
Iris, I hope you crossed the rainbow bridge with a tail wag and a big smile on your face, looking back on all the incredible hoomans who dedicated themselves to your happiness.
You will be missed.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank every foster parent out there who takes on the difficult task of caring for animals who are in a difficult situation and reminding them just how much they are worth.
You guys are incredible. Thank you!