The Hope for Paws team had worked with many stray dogs, but none were quite like Yankee. A lot of stray dogs are scared and timid of human interaction because they have been neglected, but they soon realized Yankee hadn’t even received any human affection his entire life.
This poor pup was never properly loved, taken care of, or socialized, so no wonder he was terrified of humans. This left the crew absolutely heartbroken.
Thankfully, Yankee Got a Clean Bill of Health
Everyone was so happy and thankful to know that Yankee got a clean bill of health at the vet! He didn’t have heartworms or any other serious diseases, which were huge concerns, since he had been abandoned for so long.
But, one thing Yankee did need fixing was his fur. His fur was seriously matted and filled with dirt. He was in serious need of being groomed and having a bath.
The Team Realized Just How Serious Yankee's Trust Issues Were
The team knew Yankee had some trust issues from the start, but they had no idea how bad they were. The volunteers left the veterinarian office with Yankee, and they took him to go get groomed.
As the groomers started to clean Yankee, his trust issues were made abundantly clear. But they had seen stray pups like this in the past, so they knew this is the behavior of a dog who has been neglected.
Yankee Started to Open Up and Become More Trusting
When the team from Hope for Paws brought Yankee to the rescue hospital, he was very timid. The pup continued to shy away from strangers, but he still wanted help. So, he began to open up.
Yankee started to become more trusting of these strangers because he knew they were there to help him. This was one of the first moments in Yankee’s life that he had received true, loving human interaction.
Yankee Began to Flourish
For the next few weeks, Yankee spent some time at the rescue hospital. They helped him recover from the trauma of being abandoned. After a month, Yankee made a full recovery. He was now being fed the proper food and water, and he started to play with humans and other dogs.
Now that he has recovered, given the basic necessities to live, and has been acclimated to the normal life of a dog, it was time to find him a foster home.