From a home where he was neglected, to a home where he is finally learning what it feels like to be loved.

This is little Teddy, our tiny Toy Poodle boy, and he’s been in care for almost two weeks now.

When Teddy first arrived, everything was new. He wasn’t particularly frightened, but you could tell he just wasn’t sure what was expected of him. He quietly trotted around his foster home, taking everything in and watching the other dogs.

And then, little by little, he started to work it out.

He discovered the doggy door. He had his dinner. He climbed onto the couch and snuggled in. And when bedtime came, he watched the other dogs to see what they were doing before eventually snuggling right up against his foster mum and sleeping soundly.

Now, almost two weeks later, we’re seeing a different little Teddy.

He’s running around with the other dogs, getting excited when everyone wakes up, using the doggy door all by himself and starting to relax into this new life.

He’s also had his vet assessment and is booked in for a much-needed dental next week, so we can get his little mouth feeling as good as possible.

There’s something pretty special about watching a dog who has known neglect discover the simple things most of our dogs take for granted — a soft bed, a full tummy, a warm home, other dogs to follow and, most importantly, people who love him.

Teddy is still learning.

But he’s learning that people can be kind.

That home can be safe.

That he can sleep soundly.

And that life is getting better.

We can’t change what happened to Teddy before he came to us, but we can make damn sure the rest of his life is very different 🩵