When Lilia Toscano saw a taped-up tote sitting on the side of the road outside her house in Detroit, Michigan, she knew something wasn’t right. The tote seemed incredibly out of place, so Toscano went outside and opened it up — and found a shivering, terrified dog huddled up inside.
Toscano immediately called her neighbor for help, who brought the dog, later named Kendrick, inside and contacted P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue. The whole time, Kendrick refused to move, and it was unclear whether he was injured or just scared out of his mind.
A P.O.E.T. Animal Rescue board member picked up Kendrick and brought him to the vet to get checked out. X-rays determined that he wasn’t injured, and he very slowly started to warm up to one of the vet techs. Poor Kendrick had clearly been through so much, and he had no idea whom he could trust.
Another board member, Lauren Boesen, stepped up to foster Kendrick and headed to the vet to get him. He was still so scared, but after a little while, he seemed to understand that Boesen was there to help him.
“When I met him at the vet, he was hiding and very apprehensive,” Boesen told The Dodo. “I sat on the floor with him and began talking baby talk to him and I saw a tail wag. He let me put on a collar and leash. He jumped right in the car and loved looking out the window.”
Once Boesen got Kendrick all settled in at home, she realized he had no idea how to be a dog. He didn’t know how to play with toys or give kisses and was very unsure about being pet. She gave him time and space to decompress and get used to his new surroundings, and now he’s finally learning the joys of being a beloved pet.
“Over the last few weeks, he has grown now to love cuddles and pets,” Boesen said. “He also now loves to get picked up and run around in the yard. He absolutely loves running through the snow.”
Boesen will foster Kendrick until the right forever family finds him. He’s still learning to trust and be a carefree dog, and so far the journey has been so worth it.