Couple Adopt Troubled Shelter Dog Afraid of Going Outside

A shelter dog who had a heartbreaking response when taken outside has overcome his fears thanks to the dedicated couple who adopted him. Katharin and Florian had just suffered an unimaginable loss when they lost their child so they began to look for a dog to help them through their grief. They noticed Fausto at an animal shelter in Slovakia. His eyes seemed to tell them “please help me.”

They began to visit him at the shelter and noticed Fausto was very mouthy, like he didn’t have time to bond with his mother. But the couple built an instant connection with him and decided to adopt him. It wasn’t until they brought him home that they realized that he had a tremendous fear of absolutely everything.

Fausto was incredibly trusting in the shelter with dogs and other people but outside of the shelter he was scared by every noise and everything he saw. He was so scared, he didn’t want to leave the apartment.

After 4 to 5 months, Katharin and Florian were quite overwhelmed and began to wonder if they could provide Fausto with the home he needed. But they decided to go on a vacation and it was the breakthrough they all needed. The couple noticed it was the first time they saw Fausto willing to explore.

Since that time, Fausto has mostly got his fear under control and they can take him on walks and to town on errands and more. “We needed each other,” says Florian. “He needed us to come out of his shell and we met him when we were in a dark place and he gave us a task.”

For them, the effort has all been worth it. As Katharin says, they have a dog who is “the cutest, smartest, bravest, bestest, funniest little dog.”