Boxer delivery

This Boxer just got off the van from Montreal to Toronto Animal Services. It's spent most of its life inside a puppy mill cage. Its white furred feet are dingy yellow from living in its own filth for so long. It's not quite sure what to make of the outside world. Noise, people, scents.Mostly, it just watches at first. Sometimes, it wants to run back into the security of a cage. Even the ground beneath its feet must feel strange. No more rusty metal mesh.

It becomes wary of the camera so I put it away after a couple of minutes. And then, what amazes me is that it starts to bond. It comes to me for reassurances. It tries to hide behind me when there is a loud noise. It starts to take comfort in pets and scratches.

This must be innate. How could it have possibly learned this from within a cage? Who would have set the example? Even after only experiencing some of the worst humanity has to offer, it still wants to trust us. We can't let it down again.