A dog rescued from a life of hardship as a stray struggled so much with being in the shelter that he was initially too frightened to even leave his kennel.

In a video posted to TikTok, Lakeshore PAWS, an Indiana nonprofit rescue dedicated to finding homes for dogs, shared the story of Walker, a 2-year-old pup who after first arriving in their care "refused to leave the kennel for 9 days."

Kara Barney of Lakeshore PAWS told Newsweek more about the initial struggles they faced in helping Walker get the care and attention he needed.

"Walker was found as a stray, and his rescuer spent three months trying to catch him before finally succeeding," she said. "Even getting him inside was a challenge, as he was so terrified that he pressed himself flat to the ground in fear."

Something happened to Walker that Barney believes left him with a "deep fear of people." Despite those heartbreaking initial difficulties he experienced in the shelter, there was something Barney noticed that gave her hope for the future.

"Throughout the entire ordeal, Walker showed no signs of aggression—no growling, no lunging," she said.

Though Walker may have represented an extreme case, it's not uncommon for dogs to experience stress upon arrival at the shelter.

A 2006 study from the journal Physiology and Behavior found that dogs entering the shelter system had three times the levels of cortisol, the hormone linked to stress, in their bodies over their first three days there than canines living in an ordinary domestic setting.

As with any shelter dog, patience would be required and Barney said that from the beginning, they understood gaining Walker's trust would be a gradual process. It's a process charted in the video shared to TikTok.

"We started by simply sitting quietly in the room with him, allowing him to get used to our presence," Barney said. "Each time we passed his kennel, we would toss treats inside, helping him associate people with positive experiences."

The approach gradually started to yield results.

"The first time he took a treat from someone's hand was a huge milestone," Barney said.

However, the biggest breakthrough came thanks to the amazing efforts of one of the shelter's staff members.

"Destiny, our lead kennel technician, is a passionate advocate for animals and deeply committed to building meaningful bonds with the pets in our care," Barney said. "Naturally, she was determined to earn Walker's trust."

It started with her spending a few days just simply sitting with Walker, waiting for him to approach her.

"When she wasn't looking, he would start to sniff her, gradually becoming more curious," Barney said.

The turning point in Walker's journey came the day he finally left his kennel with Destiny.

"For the first time, he realized that nothing bad would happen when he left it," Barney said.

That was the moment when the staff finally got to see the real Walker—the playful, goofy, affectionate dog that had been afraid to come out before. Since then, Walker has grown in confidence.

"Each day, Walker continues to open up more and more," Barney said.

Having helped Walker come out of his kennel and the shell he had been hiding in, the next step for Lakeshore PAWS is to help him come out of the shelter and into a forever home where he will receive the love and care that was so lacking from his life before they rescued him.

Barney already has a clear idea of the kind of home Walker would be suited to and it's one with someone who understands the time and patience required when adopting a shelter dog.

"Walker would thrive in a calm, quiet home where he has the time and space to feel safe and settle in at his own pace," she said. "He's still building his confidence and working on his relationship with people, so he would do best with a patient, understanding family committed to developing a strong bond with him.

"He's a completely different dog now than the one we met just a month and a half ago, and we're hopeful that his future home will continue to bring out his playful, loving side."