Benji is a dog who, like many others, lived a tragic story; but today his life is totally different. For a long time, the only thing this dog experienced was mistreatment and when some rescuers were trying to feed him, he looked quite distrustful.
His former owners claimed that they forgot to feed him and Benji was literally in the bones. Because of this, he was taken to a foundation where he was able to recover and find a family that now loves him like he had never experienced before. Benji spent his early years in terrible conditions. He lived tied up in a cramped space where he was hungry and cold. All this happened in South Africa, where people who lived near Benji threw stones and other objects at him.
However, someone noticed this and informed the Sidewalk Specials rescue team that this animal was in grave danger. That’s how they met Benji. In all his years of rescue he had never seen a dog so stricken and frightened. Quite rightly, Benji was wary of any human, believing that anyone who came near him would hurt him. To gain his trust, the rescuers offered him food and despite his hunger, the dog was afraid to eat because he thought he would be hurt as soon as he put his head down.
However, he was so hungry that Benji finally could not resist and approached the rescuers for food. The dog finally met humans who wanted nothing more than his well-being. Due to his malnourished state, Benji was walking with great difficulty and was shaking all the time. Of course the first thing they did was to take him to the vet and they realized that his process would be difficult on the side of trusting humans. They found Benji a temporary home where he was able to receive his treatment to the letter and after a week, he was looking better and better. He even got a new friend in the same home that he kept playing back and forth with.
Several months later, Benji was more than ready to find a loving, forever home for himself. The dog was doing so well that he didn’t look like the Benji of the beginning of this story. Fortunately, it didn’t take Benji long to find the right home. He now lives with a woman and other dogs with whom he is happy and feels protected. This dog was finally able to trust humans again and today he enjoys that privilege.
