A foster carer has shared heartbreaking footage of the moment a rescue dog reacted to being shown affection for the first time.
Rayce Lamb from Winston-Salem in North Carolina took to TikTok to share a clip of Daisy, the dog he is currently fostering, having a “full body response” to being shown “pup love” for the first time.
In the video, Daisy can be seen shaking all over as she cautiously approaches Lamb behind the camera. “I was trying to get her to eat,” Lamb told Newsweek. “It was almost as if she was scared to go after the food—what the video doesn’t show is me telling her ‘it’s ok’ and ‘you can have this’—slowly encouraging her to get closer until she went for it.”
Lamb said that while there are “signs of abuse” with Daisy, there is “no way to know for sure” if she was mistreated.
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“I rescued her and another stray she was with back in August near a quarry here in Winston-Salem,” he said. “Someone reached out and said they had seen her get dumped, but no way to know for sure. She was a bit malnourished and covered in fleaI worked with our vet to get her squared away and then began as her foster through a local organization called AARF.”
Foster carers play a crucial role in helping rescue animals through what can be a difficult transition period. Time with a foster carer can help a rescue pet to regain confidence and structure and gives carers a chance to see an animal’s true personality and the type of home they would suit best.
It also provides a much needed boost to their mental well-being. That last aspect was highlighted in a 2018 study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science which found that just 15 minutes of one-on-one petting was enough to boost the well-being of a shelter dog. If that’s what 15 minutes can do, think what an extended stay with a carer is capable of.
Lamb has already seen a positive change in Daisy over the course of their time together, though she still struggles with strangers. “She took a while to warm up to us and even now continues to tremble around new people until she is comfortable with them,” he said.
He’s already got a pretty clear idea of what kind of home and owner would suit Daisy best. “The best owner for her is someone who doesn’t mind a single animal household,” he said. “She also isn’t a high energy dog and spends most of her day napping. So someone who is gentle, patient, and loves to binge Netflix would be ideal.”
For the time being though, Lamb is just focused on giving her the best Christmas possible. “Daisy will still be with us for Christmas and will be spoiled with a lot of goodies,” he said.
He just hopes the message of this video of Daisy and all the others he has shared of her gets through to any potential adopters out there. “This pup is happy to have a second chance at life and ready to love hard,” he said.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
