When Rocky Kanaka and a team worked to clear a shelter and find homes for the abandoned dogs, nothing could have prepared him for the tiny dog whose life he was about to save. When he lifted a little dog bed and a terrified dog named Blossom ran out from under it, he knew he had to foster her.
He took Blossom home and she was too scared to move. She sat in her crate violently shaking willing Rocky to leave her alone and trying to remain invisible. Rocky has been fostering dogs for years and never experienced a dog as shut down as Blossom was.
Week after week he worked to build trust between him and Blossom but she would hide and refuse to make eye contact. The only time she interacted at all was when she went outside to go to the bathroom then she’d quickly run back inside to her hiding place. Even that was a challenge since she had never before walked on grass and was afraid of it.
One day Rocky got the idea to build her a cute little bedroom all her own and it was then that they made some tiny steps toward the healing that would ultimately come.
He slowly built trust and made sure she had enough water by hand feeding her fresh food because she didn’t know how to drink from a water bowl. After having her for 6 weeks, she learned to drink from a dish by watching another dog. It was a day to celebrate.
After that milestone, Blossom began to come out of her shell a little more each day. After a few months, she began to happily greet the other foster dogs and even jumped up on the couch to shyly sit next to Rocky. Soon after, she wagged her tail for the first time in her 3 years of life and even enjoyed the zoomies, running through the backyard.
Please share Blossom’s inspirational story about the transformative power of love by a dedicated foster with your family and friends.
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