When Kaya Gwinn, a founder of Shiloh’s Animal Rescue, received a photo of a terrified mama dog and her four puppies dumped in an orchard in Bakersfield, California, she knew she had to help them.
The rescue took the canine family under their care and placed them with an emergency foster.
The mother dog, named Honey, was in a really bad state, underweight and covered in ticks and fleas. She also had an old hip injury that made her limp.
Gwinn and her crew assumed that Honey was kept in a yard and used for breeding.
After the doggo spent some time with her temporary foster, Gwinn took over and brought the dog to her home in Los Osos.
That was when Honey’s life started changing.
Learning To Trust Humans Again
As soon as the dog moved in with her, the giant-hearted woman realized how traumatized Honey was.
All she wanted to do was hide from everyone and avoid any type of interaction. Honey didn’t feel safe and she constantly tried to make herself small.
Gwinn was convinced that Honey never had a real home.
The woman felt sad when she noticed that the doggo would often lie in the dirt. That was the only place where she felt comfortable.
Gwinn could tell that the dog was never given what her heart desired most – human love.
“I think she always wanted somebody to love her, but never really received affection that she’s always desired,“ Gwinn told GeoBeats Animals.
The kind human refused to give up on the dog.
Gwinn showered Honey with love and did everything she could to convince her that the world wasn’t a scary place.
Thanks to her foster mom’s dedication and love, Honey began feeling safe and her emotional wounds started healing.
Although it was difficult, the resilient dog eventually managed to put her past behind.
Discovering Love
Feeling loved was a new experience for Honey and it changed her life. She became extremely attached to her foster mom.
Since she was deprived of human love her whole life, Honey uses every opportunity to cuddle with Gwinn. She loves flopping on her lap and asking for cuddles.
Honey’s foster mom is impressed with her affectionate disposition and she considers her unique.
“I feel really connected to her. I just feel like she’s just one of a kind. She helps me with, you know, sometimes I get stressed out and I don’t know just her flopping on my lap makes me feel infinitely better and I just love bringing her everywhere,” Gwinn added.
In order to improve her mobility, Honey underwent hip surgery.
The doggo is doing great. She still lives with Gwinn in Los Osos, California.
All four of Honey’s puppies got adopted into loving homes. The sweet mama dog hopes that she will also find her forever family who will give her their unconditional love.