In order to blossom into confident and happy dogs, all canines need to have a loving home and humans who love them and take care of them.
Sadly, some pups grow up without the love of their humans. Being deprived of the necessary interaction with people, the hearts of these dogs become filled with fear.
Wally was one of those dogs who spent years apart from his family. He left his home when he was very little, and he ended up in the woods, which became his only home.
As he grew bigger, the collar around his neck became too tight, and his life and health was at risk. Wally needed to get help as soon as possible.
How long is he going to wait to get rescued?
Wally Gets Rescued
LifeLine Animal Project, a non-profit organization, based in Atlanta, Georgia, heard that there was a stray dog that needed their immediate help, and its volunteers rushed to save his life.
They set a humane trap and managed to catch Wally and bring him to LifeLine Community Center.
As soon as he arrived at the shelter’s clinic, Wally had an emergency surgery that saved his life. He soon recovered, but he was still distrustful and frightened.
Wally didn’t let the shelter staff touch him. He often curled up in a corner of his room, avoiding making eye contact. He was terrified of everything.
His new shelter friends knew that Wally needed a very special family, and a home to build his confidence and overcome his fears.
The Life In A Foster Home
After a couple of weeks, a wonderful family came to the shelter and decided to foster Wally. As soon as the shelter staff met Kathryn, Jared, and their dog, Molly, they knew that they were the right family for Wally.
The scared dog left the shelter without knowing that his life would soon change forever.
When he moved into his foster home, Wally was still a fearful pup. However, his family was extremely patient with him, and they gave him time to adapt to his new life.
His foster mom, Kathryn, often stroked his head, trying to let him know that he was safe.
Since his family was afraid that Wally would run away, they put him in a harness or leash whenever they took him outside.
When he went outside, Wally wasn’t interested in playing in the yard. He distanced himself from his family. He laid on the ground and started trembling, overwhelmed by fear. His family’s heart broke after they saw him so scared and broken.
Wally Overcomes His Fears
Kathryn petted him, but Wally didn’t react at all. His foster parents had a lot of love to give him, but Wally didn’t trust them and he kept his distance.
After two weeks, Kathryn figured out that they needed to get rid of his harness because for Wally, it was a constant reminder of his previous collar incident. Wally felt constricted.
Kathryn approached him, took him out of the harness, and said:
“All right, the yard is yours, buddy. Go for it! It’s your world, buddy!”
Ever since then, Wally’s behavior started changing. He began turning into a totally different dog! His doggy sister, Molly, was there to help. Wally started spending more time with her and watched her behavior.
Having realized that Molly trusted Kathryn and Jared, he started trusting them, too. He finally got comfortable.
After seeing Molly lick her mom’s face, Wally approached his foster mom and gave her the sweetest kiss. Kathryn was thrilled.
When she bought Wally toys, she never imagined what his reaction would be. As soon as she gave him a toy, the dog started throwing it in the air and doing loops. He was running around. Kathryn had never seen him so excited.
His Forever Family
“When he gets excited, it’s like he doesn’t know what to do, and he just flails his arms in the air. It’s, like, the cutest thing.”
Since then, his personality started to shine. Wally completely transformed, becoming a fun and affectionate pooch. He used to avoid making eye contact with humans, and now he loves cuddling with his foster parents.
After two and a half months, Wally’s foster parents realized that he had become a part of their family. They were unable to picture their life without him.
Kathryn’s husband gave Wally a dog tag that said ‘Wally Grayson’ on it. It was official! Kathryn, Jared, and Molly became his forever family.
I feel very happy to see that Wally found a forever home and a great family who was very patient with him, giving him the love and care he needed. He became the happiest dog, thanks to their immense love and compassion.
