As someone who has owned (and currently owns) several rescue dogs, I can say with absolute certainty that there is nothing more rewarding than opening your heart and your home to a four-legged friend in need.
In that spirit, one woman’s viral Facebook post about rescuing an abandoned dog has inspired countless others to share stories of their own rescued pups as well, making for a supremely heartwarming Facebook thread.
When Megan Burris first came across her dog, Walter, he had been dumped along the side of a dirt road near the Canadian border.
Not only had he been abandoned by his previous family, but Walter had also had the word “free” cruelly spray painted into his dirty black fur.
“He was so broken,” Burris wrote. “He hadn’t a clue how to be a part of a family.”
The first few months with Walter were tough, as Burris said he behaved rather poorly.
“He freely urinated on walls and cabinets, stood on coffee tables and counters, destroyed things and was completely bewildered and terrified at any reprimand,” she wrote. “It was a slow, slow process involving [patience] and properly timed rewards.”
Finally, after three months, Walter finally started to warm up to his new home and his new family.
“We witnessed him sleep in our presence for the first time ever,” Megan wrote. “From that point forward, he began to blossom, taking the idea of being a house dog in stride.”
She added, “As with anyone who endures abuse, there will be residual effects and Walter will always be fearful of new people and unwilling to freely offer respect to people who have historically done him so wrong.
“But he has truly blossomed and become an amazing dog.”
Burris’ post quickly went viral, racking up over 10,000 reactions and more than 700 comments.
At the end of her story, she asked for others to share their rescue stories, and the good people of the internet were more than happy to oblige.
This woman found her doggo Bella in a beach toilet block in the middle of the winter.
“She was terrified. 10 days later she became part of the family. I had 18 amazing months with my sweet girl, before her cancer got the better of her. She was my first ever dog as an adult and she’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
Xander was adopted from a shelter after he was brought in as a sickly stray.
According to his owner, “He was infested with heart worms, and completely defeated in spirit. He’s still leery of some strangers and occasionally counter surfs but he has come SUCH a long way.”
They added, “We are endlessly proud of and thankful for our sweet boy.”
This sweet girl named Maya was abandoned on the streets of Las Vegas.
She was found digging through trash and fighting off other dogs. Thankfully she was chipped and so officials were able to contact her owners, but they wanted nothing to do with her.
“They simply said ‘Keep her. We got a puppy’,” Maya’s owner explained. “It took me 2 months to get her to show any sign of affection. Now she’s a princess and she knows it.”
This pup was brought into a shelter malnourished and having been abandoned by her family.
“When I picked her up to foster her she was diagnosed with rickets and was terrified of everything. Today she is a happy healthy pupper who made me a foster failure. No way I was letting her go. She is perfection.”
Party Steve was a stray dog discovered on a beach in Thailand.
He had a family when he was a puppy but was abandoned when they left the island and spent two years on his own. His new owners adopted him during a spontaneous trip to Thailand.
“He is the softest, most gentle dog. he loves a soft bed, a pillow and a cuddle… He is happiest when sleeping or sat leaning against you. Rescues reciprocate love ten fold.”
“Percy was dumped at a shelter because he was ‘too aggressive’.”
After adopting him, his owner reports that the two have become best friends and that Percy makes an excellent running partner.
As for the pup’s fancy headwear: “I just finished knitting him a hat and scarf for his first Midwestern winter!”
June was her owner’s very first rescue dog.
She was thrown out of a car window while her owner was walking down the street. The thin pup had three open wounds, and despite her experience, she was timid but very sweet.
Her new owner happily reports that the previously 11 pound dog is now a healthy 50 pounds, “eats all the food she wants and is HAPPY again!”
