Volunteers rescued a dog named Cassiopeia from a negligent breeder and brought her to a shelter. It was evident that her life had been far from ideal: the poor dog always sat, stared into the corner, and trembled with fear. All attempts by the volunteers to help her had been unsuccessful, but fortunately, help came from another dog.
It took Cassiopeia 48 days to start recovering at the shelter. This was abnormal behavior for a social animal. The volunteers tried various methods to help her — petting and comforting her, but she continued to tremble.
Finally, a woman named Meredith came to the shelter and decided to take Cassie home with her. She hoped that care and good nutrition would help the dog overcome her stress. However, even in a home environment, Cassie struggled to adapt.
Meredith already had an adult dog named Carlito. Initially, she was hesitant to introduce the dogs, fearing it might worsen Cassie’s stress. But after unsuccessful attempts to calm Cassie down, she decided to let Carlito into the shared enclosure.
Carlito knew exactly what to do. He didn’t show aggression, just sat beside the trembling dog. Gradually, Cassie became interested in her new familiar companion. She sniffed Carlito and stopped trembling. By evening, Cassie was wagging her tail happily, and the next day, they began playing together.
It took about two weeks of «dog therapy» for Cassiopeia to adapt to people and her new surroundings. Now, she has fully recovered from her traumatic experience and behaves calmly.
Animals can face emotional challenges similar to humans, and they need to be handled patiently and without haste.
