Theoklitos Proestakis, popularly known as Takis, runs a shelter for abused and neglected dogs in Ierapetra, Greece.
Some concerned locals recently reached out to him in hopes of helping a dog named Phoenix who was being constantly abused by his owner.
Source: Takis Shelter/YouTube
Apparently, Phoenix was living a life of unspeakable horror ever since he was a puppy. His owner kept him chained at all times and often hit him mercilessly. The repeated abuse caused Phoenix to turn aggressive toward humans and other animals.
When Takis realized Phoenix’s grim situation, he immediately made arrangements to get the poor dog out of this miserable fate. However, his very first encounter with Phoenix was a fiasco. The dog straight up refused to engage with him, and even tried to bite his hand.
Source: Takis Shelter/YouTube
As Phoenix scrambled to hide in a corner in the crate, Takis understood that his behavior was simply a reflection of his scarred mental state. He vowed to keep working on the dog and help him come out of his frightened shell.
Source: Takis Shelter/YouTube
It was almost nightfall, but Takis refused to give up on Phoenix. However, every time the dedicated rescuer would approach to pet him, Phoenix would snarl ferociously and gnaw at him.
After an excruciating number of tries over several hours, Phoenix finally let his walls down and let go of his fear. He finally let Takis touch him!
Source: Takis Shelter/YouTube
This video will leave you with moist eyes as it captures Phoenix’s real-time transformation from an aggressive to a gentle dog. Today, Phoenix has truly become a loving and affectionate pooch at the shelter.
We salute rescuers like Takis who see through a dog’s abuse-induced behavior patterns and give them another chance!
Click the video below to watch how Takis’ miraculous touch healed Phoenix’s tattered and abused soul!
