By Jack BeresfordShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA traumatized shelter dog has undergone an incredible transformation thanks to the efforts of a dedicated volunteer.
Cheesy was brought to the Yolo County Animal Shelter (YCAS) in California last April in a distressing condition. “He was found by a Good Samaritan as a stray with a wire cable tightly wrapped around his snout and a heavy chain hanging from his neck,” a YCAS spokesperson told Newsweek. “They brought him to our shelter and no one ever came to claim him.”
From the moment he arrived, it was clear that Cheesy had been left deeply traumatized by what had happened in his life before. He was fearful of his surroundings, struggled to be around men and was afraid of being indoors.
...The shelter can be a stressful environment for an incoming dog. A study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior saw researchers examine cortisol levels to assess the stress of dogs in a county animal shelter.
The hormone cortisol has long been seen as an effective measure of stress levels. Dogs entering the shelter experienced raised levels of cortisol in their system for the first three days following their arrival.
Though those levels went on to decline, there was no such respite for Cheesy. “He was a friendly but anxious young dog when he first arrived; the longer he stayed, the more he began to break down from the stress of shelter life,” YCAS said.
A little attention in the shelter can go a long way. In 2018, a study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science found just 15 minutes of one-on-one petting was enough to provide a measurable boost to a shelter dog’s wellbeing.
The help Cheesy got went a long way beyond simple petting though. “One of our dedicated volunteers took him on as her project dog,” YCAS said.
“She’s been working with him consistently for months to help build his confidence and teach him some skills from the absolute basics like learning how to walk indoors without being scared, to commands like ‘sit’, ‘paw’ and ‘touch.’”
Cheesy has come on leaps and bounds since then. He’s learned basic obedience, has better impulse control and has regained his confidence. More than anything else, he’s experienced what it’s like to truly be loved and cared for.
...Yet for all the love Cheesy has received during this time from his volunteer friend, he has yet to attract much in the way of adoption interest. YCAS even put out a video sharing Cheesy’s story and the treatment that had left him "broken" to their TikTok @yoloanimals, but to no avail.
“He has not had much adoption interest, with only one person coming to meet him after his TikTok story went out,” YCAS said. “We honestly have no idea why since he’s obviously adorable, sweet, and has a compelling story.”
Cheesy needs a home with someone willing to continue the work his volunteer friend has started in terms of training him up in new skills and building his confidence. He’s not ready to live with other dogs and cats yet, given everything he has been through, but he’s more than ready to love and feel loved in a new forever family.
“Cheesy clearly endured abuse at the hands of somebody for him to end up with a wire tightly wrapped around his face,” YCAS said. “He had every excuse to lash out and never trust people again. And yet, this dog shows love and trust every single day, giving as much as he receives from the volunteers and staff who work with him.”
Anyone ready to provide Cheesy with the loving home he deserves can contact YCAS directly.
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