When shelters get overcrowded with dogs who haven’t been adopted for a long time, unfortunately, they are forced to euthanize them.

The dog of today’s story, Ben, was one of those dogs.

It was decided that if he didn’t get adopted by the end of the day, he would be scheduled for euthanasia over the weekend.

Rescue Mission

the dog walks around the vet's office

Source: Youtube

However, as soon as a kindhearted woman named Lauren heard about this terrible news, she could not let that happen.
“You could see it in his eyes, he was so scared and so distrustful,” said Lauren.

Knowing that this dog deserves a second chance at happiness, Lauren decided to become his foster mom and take him in.

Arriving at his new home, Ben was visibly stressed and needed some time to adjust to his new environment and hoomans.

Luckily, Lauren already shared her home with her two dogs, Jojo and Hankey, who knew exactly what to do.

New Life

two dogs look at each other from behind the cage

Source: Youtube

Both of them immediately understood that Ben needed some emotional support, so they hung out close to him, letting him know that they were there to help.

This became a regular routine. Every morning, Lauren and her dogs kept Ben company, hoping that he would finally get used to them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an easy task. Ben didn’t eat anything for the first three days, so the usual “gaining trust with food” method wasn’t proving to be successful.

However, Lauren still didn’t give up. She kept on giving him food every single day, hoping that Ben would give in.

the dog in the garden sniffs the owner's hand

Source: Youtube

And, he did!

When Lauren gave him some food in the palm of her hand, Ben reached over and took some. This was a very positive sign.

Lauren didn’t want to put any added pressure on Ben, so she let him figure things out by himself, hoping that he would understand that he is in a safe place with people who care.

After some time, Ben started leaning in all on his own, asking for pets and cuddles.

Now, his favorite type of cuddle is getting his ears rubbed.

the sick dog lies on the bed with a downcast look

Source: Youtube

It got to the point that if I stopped, he would let me know that he was not done and he needed more affection. He would take his cute little paw, and he would just touch me.

Lauren found it so cute that after some time, they started referring to it as a ‘Blessing’. Whenever Ben raised his paw and touched either the other dogs or hoomans, he was actually blessing them.

After spending some time in this healthy environment, Ben started looking like a brand-new dog.

He was super playful and had a lot of energy, which he loved to spend by running around with his furry siblings.

Forever Home

a smiling dog sits in the park and looks at the camera

Source: Youtube

Finally feeling like his true self, Lauren started to look for a forever home for Ben that would give him all the love he deserves.

And, of course, being such an incredible dog, he matched with his perfect hooman in no time.

When the two met for the first time, Ben was hesitant and shy at first, not being able to show his true self.

However, when he saw how amazing his new hooman was, Ben started to loosen up and really started to enjoy himself.

Now, Ben leads an incredible life filled with a lot of love, attention, and, of course, his Blessings!

Good boy, Ben!