A rescue dog whose traumatic start to life left her fearful of men has undergone an incredible transformation.

Monique Cook from Berkshire in England told Newsweek her three-year-old shih tzu Tuppence used to "hide from men'' when she first brought her home from the shelter in July 2023. Tuppence had her reasons though.

"She was found by the police in a van along with around 30 other shih tzu who had been left to breed with one another," Cook said. "It was a man who owned the van and all the puppies were left through the COVID lockdown to starve. The breeding got out of control. They were pretty much all abandoned."

Because Tuppence had a litter of puppies at a young age, her growth was stunted, while her experience with her previous owner in the van left her fearful of Cook's dad and her boyfriend.

"That man didn't treat them well, and he was the only human they knew for the first however many years of their lives," she said. It took some time to trust again, especially men. "The first four months of owning her, she would run from my dad and hide," Cook said.

This kind of reaction is what Dr. Jennifer Summerfield, the author of Train Your Dog Now defines as a "single-event learning." She told the dog resource site Rover it's when "a single frightening or painful experience during the fear period can have a lasting impact for the rest of your dog's life."

Cook and her family were determined to prove to Tuppence that she was safe and, most importantly, loved now.

"We just smothered her with love and attention, just everything that makes her happy and brings out her playful side," Cook said. "Now she just loves life, you can really tell every day how grateful she is as she gets random love bursts where she will give us kisses and cuddles."

In a video posted to TikTok under the handle monliz167, Cook showed the extent of Tuppence's transformation with the pint-sized pup shown cuddling up to her dad. He never lost faith that he would eventually win her over.

"My dad was patient with her and just continued to show her love, she then gained trust for him," Cook said. "She has warmed to all men in my family now including my boyfriend which she would never do before!"

Now Tuppence, who has two pomchi to keep her company, is as happy as the next dog.

"She just loves cuddling and having her human company, she likes to play with her toys and she loves food," Cook said. "She was very shy at first, and now although she is still kind of shy, she is so loving."

Cook hopes that Tuppence's story and the video she posted will inspire others to follow her lead. "I want people to consider rescuing as it is so rewarding and they deserve the love that they were missing," she said.

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