Dog so scared of humans he freezes up – but he just needs chance at happiness
Prince, a one year old mix-breed, is so terrified of humans that he freezes up when someone approaches him, after being born into a world of horror in a Romanian kill shelter.
'Kill shelters' refer to shelters where animals, particularly stray dogs, are euthanized after a certain period of time - as short as two weeks - if they are not adopted or rescued.
"Timid soul" Prince was "shut down and just too scared to do anything" until the poor pup was taken in by Oakwood Dog Rescue in Hull, where rescuers stepped in to give him a second chance at life.
A statement from the rescue centre reads: "If the shelter volunteers needed to do anything with him, they said he'd just completely freeze, let them do what they needed, and then run off back to a cold corner of the concrete pen he was living in, and try and make himself small and invisible."
While Prince isn't quite ready to accept strokes yet, he is starting to learn not every human is a threat and is close to accepting a gentle touch from someone he trusts.
The statement continues: "Without another dog around, Prince turns into a quivering wreck. Prince must be rehomed with at least one other dog already in the home for confidence.
"Although Prince can not cope without another dog, he can be surprisingly gobby when he first meets them. Once he knows he is safe though and that they want to be his friend, he falls in love with them and they absolutely light up his life."
The adorable pooch is able to live alongside sensible children over 12 years old. He lacks any previous training and requires a dedicated owner to teach him the basic commands.
Although unaccustomed to a lead and lacking experience living indoors, the rescue centre is confident that he will swiftly adjust to home life.
On Facebook, touching comments have been made regarding his rehoming posts, with one user saying: "Bless his hairy little socks."
Emotions continued to run high as another remarked: "Millions of hugs, sweetheart."
A sentiment echoed by another, who added: "Bless him, hope he finds his forever home."
Oakwood Dog Rescue, established in 2009, dedicates itself to placing ex-street dogs from both the UK and abroad into loving homes.
With a philosophy aimed at creating perfect lifelong matches rather than quick adoptions, the organisation asserts: "We do not operate on finding homes as fast as possible, instead we match our dogs to the best homes we can to ensure they stay in the home they have found."
For those interested in giving Prince or other animals at Oakwood Dog Rescue a new start in life, enquiries should be directed to their team via the website oakwooddogrescue.co.uk.
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