Scared shelter dog wouldn't stop hiding in her kennel — until one kind soul knelt down

Most shelter dogs have a terrifying past; while some are rescued from abusive households, others are abandoned because of old age or health-related issues. Once backstabbed by those they loved the most, these dogs develop inexplicable fear and trust issues. Humane Society Broward County (@humanebroward on Instagram), a Florida-based shelter home, had one such resident, Isabella, who had a hard time coming out of her shell and trusting humans again. But, they say, true love meets you in your mess and not your best, and rightfully so, as Isabella, too, had someone waiting only for her.

They revealed that Isabella's past remains a mystery since she was shifted from one shelter to another, and nobody knows about her origin. "What we do know is she’s a very shy but very sweet and loving girl," the rescue home shared. The poor puppy, who was just a year old, is too scared to face the world and would often hide in the corner of the kennel to feel safe. "She’s clearly had a rough start to her life," they said, assuming Issabela's traumatizing past. The shelter shared that they had to work towards gaining her trust, and finally, when Isabella did learn to trust a volunteer there, she slowly moved towards her, allowing her to shower her with the love she deserves.

"Isabella needs to get out of the shelter in order to thrive. She is available for both adoption and fostering," the shelter home wrote, urging kind, potential adopters to give the dog a second chance at life. Thankfully, Isabella, unlike 72% of other dogs entering shelter homes annually, was fortunate enough to find a loving home and devoted parents who accepted her with open arms. 

The video highlighting how genuine love can transform someone almost immediately received an outpouring of love on social media. Echoing the comments, a user, @april_dawn_019, revealed, "I adopted the most frightened dog in my local shelter. She is now thriving and is the best girl! Don't ignore the frightened ones. It is only because they are in a scary environment." Similarly, another user, who goes by @ana, said, "Omg my heart, praying sweet Isabella is adopted and finds her loving forever home she can decompress and thrive in asap. She’s so scared huddled in the corner, bless her."

Meanwhile, @joe_eng wrote, "May God bless this sweet girl with her forever family soon! He has a plan, and those who care for her are so special!" A person, @sasha, shared, "Beautiful soul looking for a kind, caring home. She will bring all the joy once she feels secure and loved by her new, wonderful person." @betty wished, "Aww, bless her heart, she deserves the world. I really hope that she will be adopted very soon and get a lovely home where she is spoiled rotten." On the other hand, @theprincess923 said, "OMG…sweet girl. She reminds me of my sweet baby Cookie. Cookie was an 18-year-old black lab mix we had to send over the rainbow bridge. My heart hurts seeing this baby so scared. Please send her the most amazing forever family ASAP."

You can follow Humane Society Broward County (@humanebroward) on Instagram for more dog-related content.