All dogs need loving humans who would dote on them and give them love.
Sadly, countless dogs never get the chance to feel loved because they live in abusive homes.
Ziggy was one of those dogs who was mistreated and neglected. She had a big heart, but she never received affection from her owners.
Fortunately, her life began changing when good people found her abandoned outside a vacant house with three other dogs.
The rescuers assumed that the dogs’ owners were evicted from their home and that they left their dogs behind.
Ziggy Moves To A Shelter
When Ziggy was admitted to Palm Beach Animal Care and Control in Florida, she felt terrified and shut down. She had a difficult past and the noisy shelter wasn’t the right place for her.
Everything scared her, and the staff carried her around because she was afraid of walking on a leash.
Ziggy’s caregivers were sure that she had been used for breeding.
Knowing that she couldn’t overcome her past in the shelter, they wanted to find her a foster family.
They decided to call Jess Katz and her boyfriend, Steve Leone, the regular fosters for the rescue, and ask them whether they could open their home to Ziggy.
Katz and Leone agreed to foster Ziggy, and they came to the Florida shelter to pick her up.
Once they took her home, Katz and Leone gave her time to decompress in a crate.
They noticed that she was especially scared of men.
After a while, the couple started encouraging her to leave the crate and spend some time with them. Ziggy wanted to join them, but she was still too afraid.
Realizing That She Can Trust Her
Each family did everything they could to make the pup feel loved and important.
Since Ziggy was afraid of eating alone, Katz kept her company, and gradually, the pup started warming up to her foster mom.
Leone put in effort to show Ziggy that he loved her, too. He lay next to her crate and cuddled her.
As time went by, the doggo began realizing that her foster parents were good people and that they would never hurt her.
She left her crate and began hanging out with the family’s dogs outside. She loved playing with them.
Her doggy friends began teaching her how to be a dog.
Katz could tell that Ziggy never lived in a house before. She was confused with mirrors and seemed like she had never seen one before.
Gaining Confidence
Gradually, the doggo began seeking affection from her foster parents.
Katz recorded a precious moment when Ziggy gathered up the courage to approach Leone and let him pet her.
She posted it on TikTok where it garnered massive attention.
“Watch how my foster dog gains confidence to approach my boyfriend when she sees how the other dogs feel safe with him,” Katz wrote in a clip.
The footage shows Leone kneeling on the floor and showering the couple’s three dogs with love. The dogs absorb his affection and wag their tails with excitement.
Ziggy, who watched her foster dad and the pups from afar, came forward and slowly approached them as if she was asking Leone to pet her, too.
Leone noticed her, stroked her gently, and continued petting other pups.
It was one of Ziggy’s breakthroughs. She looked happy because Leone cuddled her just like the other dogs.
The video melted the hearts of TikTok viewers who were overjoyed because Ziggy finally conquered her fear, at least for a brief moment.
The pup is doing great in her foster home. She likes to follow Katz around and shower her with love.
The family is delighted with Ziggy. However, they can’t keep her because they already have three pups and they want to continue fostering shelter dogs.
I’m certain that Ziggy will find her forever family who will make her feel cherished and loved.