Joice Lamas adopted a dog named Octávio from a shelter early last year.
Joice and her husband thought it would be a great way to help an animal in need while also gaining a pet.
The dog had been rescued from an abusive home where several dogs had been neglected.
After being treated for his injuries, Octávio was held at the shelter and slowly regained his confidence. He was wary of human contact at the beginning.
After hearing about his story, Lamas and her husband wanted to help. In fact, Lamas has not spent time away from the dog since they first met.
Octávio has been blossoming for the past few months that he has spent at Lamas’ home. He used to shy away from any human who wanted to show affection through contact.
Now, Octávio can’t get enough human interaction. He loves to cuddle and snuggle.
However, not all of this dog’s scars are completely healed. He still eats in a manner that would suggest there is still trauma present.
Octávio always leaves half of his food in the bowl. It doesn’t matter how much Lamas offers the dog.
Although the reason for this peculiar behavior isn’t exactly clear, Lamas has some assumptions.
She believes that this behavior is resulting from the years of neglect that Octávio experienced.
In the past, Octávio wasn’t fed every day. Lamas believes that the dog learned to save his meals instead of eating it all at once.
It’s also possible that Octávio was rationing his food to share with other hungry dogs.
Lamas tries to encourage Octávio to eat everything, but the dog is stubborn. Hopefully, Octávio will become more comfortable with the eating situation.
His new owners are dedicated to helping their new pet every step of the way. Octávio will no longer be without food or love.
His owners are committed to making his life as happy as possible.
Lamas is quickly learning that it can be challenging to care for a dog who has been abused.
She knows that the recovery process will take a lot of attention, patience, and time.