One morning, the officers of DeKalb County Animal Services in Georgia encountered a heartbreaking sight right in front of their shelter.
Someone had abandoned their Pitbull puppy in a single cardboard box of plums. The poor puppy was emaciated and terrified, and refused to leave his little box even when the staff of the shelter brought him inside.
No matter what the shelter did, the puppy, which they decided to name Plum, wouldn’t leave the box.
Abandoned And Scared
Plum was just so scared and sad because his family had abandoned him heartlessly.
“We just wanted to hug him, make him feel better and let him know he was safe. We set up a nice crate with a fluffy bed and some treats, and left the door open, hoping he would go in on his own,” Karen from LifeLine Animal Project told The Dodo.
It took weeks for Plum to come out of his box, but eventually, once he felt connected to a few of the shelter employees, he finally started to explore the area.
When he started slowly coming out of his box (and his shell), the shelter could really see how wonderful of a dog he really was.
“When Plum arrived, he was unable to leave the safety of his box. He has made so much progress and we love seeing his personality blossom,” LifeLine Animal Project wrote in their Facebook post.
Plum quickly bonded with the shelter staff, which was not a surprise because he was always so sweet and cuddly.
Slowly, his silly and funny side also came to the surface, to everyone’s delight.
After weeks of working with him to overcome his fears, they could finally tell that he was going to be alright after all.
“We wanted him to have his happily ever after, and so we started posting about him, and it was just a month later that his adopter came and sweeped him off his feet, and likewise,” Karen said.
Plum was going home, but this time, for forever!
Plum Going Home
This sweet boy was adopted by a wonderful woman named Melonie, from Atlanta, Georgia. For Melonie, it was love at first sight, and she immediately knew she needed to adopt him.
“He had what looked like, you know, an old soul, or something that kind of stuck out and brought our attention to him,” Melonie told The Dodo.
When Plum was first adopted, he was still a scrawny little puppy, but he put on almost 20 pounds and is looking much healthier.
He even has a couple of furry friends at his new home who he enjoys playing with. They seemed to be the perfect fit for each other.
According to Melonie, Plum is the sweetest dog ever, but he can also be very silly. One of his favorite activities is lying upside down on the grass and just rolling around.
“He falls asleep very easily and snores very loudly. He can fall asleep in the most uncomfortable-looking positions, or like, the most uncomfortable-looking furniture. He’s really a connoisseur of sleep,” Melonie also said.
Although Plum’s life started out rough, he’s now a very happy boy, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
You can follow Plum’s adventures on his official Instagram account: @plumpelstiltskin_.