Rescued Dog Shows Gratitude by Hugging his Rescuers All The Time!

• When Toro was rescued in October last year, he was always scared.
• But soon enough, he warmed up to people and learned to trust them again.
• Finally, he started showing his true personality — he now loves giving hugs to his humans as much as he can!

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In October of last year, Toro was rescued by the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. He was found in an abandoned house helplessly chained to a fence. The shelter figured Toro must have lived most of his life outside and it would be a major adjustment for him to live in his new environment.

“When he first came in, he was very nervous and shut down,” Melissa Fogarty, a supervisor at the shelter, told The Dodo. “He’s become more comfortable with people he’s used to, but is still a bit nervous in the shelter setting.”

Even so, Toro is apparently a lovable dog. Not long after, he started showing his true personality through hugging — lots of hugging!

“I was probably one of the first people to take him out for an actual socialized walk when he came in,” Melissa said. “The hugging happened probably within 15 minutes of having him out loose in our side play yard. He just kind of crawled up to me, climbed on my lap, and pressed himself against my chest … from there it grew and now he hugs all his friends here.”

Toro is still nervous but he is so grateful to have been rescued and to be living in a safer place with kind people — and he wanted his rescuers to be reminded of that frequently.

“Every time he comes out of the kennel, his first reaction is to hug the person walking him, and anyone, really, he comes in contact with,” Melissa said. 

In January, Toro was adopted, but unfortunately, he was returned after over a week because it was a mismatch. Now, he is still looking for a forever home and a family he can give hugs to each day to show them how much love he can give.

It has been a year and Toro is so ready to start a life with a new family. It was difficult for the staff in the shelter to understand why he hasn’t been chosen, after all, he is such a lovable guy!

“I honestly think he hasn’t been adopted because he’s a middle-aged pit mix living in a high-intake municipal shelter,” Melissa said. “He gets lost in this sea of dogs that don’t show well in their kennels.” 

We hope and pray that Toro gets to meet the perfect family for him very soon!

Contact the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter if you or someone you know is interested in adopting Toro.

Source: The Dodo