Florian and Katrin, a lovely young couple, were devastated when they lost a child they had eagerly awaited.
To help ease their grief, they considered adopting a pet as a source of comfort.
While browsing through photos of animals at the shelter, they stumbled upon Fausto—a dog whose forlorn expression seemed to cry out ‘please, help me’.
They decided to meet Fausto at the shelter and instantly felt a bond with him, leading them to adopt him.
Fearless Fausto
According to what they learned, Fausto was abandoned at the shelter by a family that no longer wanted him. As a puppy, he likely didn’t have much time to form a bond with his mother.
Fausto spent several months in a kennel at the shelter before being moved to another facility, where Florian and Katrin found him.
“We quickly realized he had an overwhelming fear of nearly everything—lights, bicycles, cars, airplanes, construction sites, you name it. Essentially, anything human-made frightened him. He was also terrified of water,” Florian shared with GeoBeats Animals.
Poor Fausto had spent the majority of his puppyhood confined to a kennel, which left him exceptionally fearful of the outside world and manmade objects.
He was extremely friendly with other dogs and humans, but once outside, he transformed into a completely different dog.
Initially, the couple was quite overwhelmed and sought help from several professional dog trainers.
“We struggled to even get him to leave the apartment. We thought we should break free from the constant stress of worrying about him, so we decided to take a vacation,” Florian recalled.
This trip allowed them to see Fausto begin to come out of his shell and explore the world without being overly anxious.
The Cutest, Smartest, and Bravest Dog
After months of dedicated effort and learning to assist fearful dogs like Fausto, their dedication finally bore fruit.
“We focused on loose leash walking and addressing Fausto’s fear of traffic. Not long ago, that would have triggered his flight response or caused him to freeze on the road.”
