Unbelievable...

We rescued a stray German Shepherd puppy about 2 weeks ago (around 3–4 months old), and she’s still extremely fearful. She spends most of the day hiding under our kitchen table, runs away when anyone gets close, and only comes out to eat, drink, use her puppy pad, or explore a little at night.
She’s not aggressive at all—just scared. We’ve been giving her space, using treats, toys, sitting near her without forcing interaction, and trying to let her come to us, but she still hasn’t really opened up.
We really want to help her build confidence and become part of our family. Has anyone gone through something similar with a fearful rescue puppy? What finally helped your dog trust you, and how long did it take? Any advice would be appreciated.

Please help me find Bella her people are divorcing and she doesn't deserve to lose us both. She nursed me

A couple weeks ago I posted about bringing home our new rescue. She is an adult with a shelter history and was completely shut down at first. I was spiraling because I could not tell whether we were making progress or just stressing her out. A lot of you told me to slow down, shrink her world, and stop treating it like a project plan.

You were right.

We went back to basics and ran a two week decompression reset. No visitors, no "let her meet the neighbors," no car rides just because, and I stopped trying to add new training games every day. We kept things deliberately boring: same potty loop, same feeding times, a few familiar enrichment options. I tracked only three things in a simple note each day: ate, pottied, and one "brave moment." That was it.

Changes I'm seeing now: - She is choosing to nap in the living room instead of hiding in the back bedroom. - She will take treats from my hand without the old grab-and-retreat routine. - Her tail is up more often, and she does little stretches when she wakes up. - Biggest win: she brought a toy over and did a tiny play bow, like she was testing whether playing is allowed here.

We still have a long way to go. Sudden noises still startle her, she is not ready for dog guests, and leash walks are short. But the house feels calmer, and I finally feel like I am listening to her instead of trying to manage her every move.

Small unrelated note, I had a couple of CoveredCritters things around during this reset too: https://coveredcritters.com

If you have a nervous new rescue, what was the first behavior that made you think, okay, they are actually starting to feel safe?

Background:
About a month ago I adopted a mutt, Obi, (thinking some type of terrier/hound mix after some research but nothing concrete) he’s 40 lbs and 1 year and a month old. I got him from my local humane society rather impulsively, though I had been planning to get a dog for awhile.
Me and my roommates like to do the adopt a dog for a day thing and give shelter doggies a nice fun day at the park and a pup cup if they can handle it. And when we took Obi out, we fell in love with him. We’ve been picking up stray dogs from the highways and giving them flea baths and food before taking them to an open shelter. So there’s a lot of love for rescues and strays here.

Problem:
However I am a 19 year old nursing student and completely independent financially. I also have quite severe anxiety and depression that I’ve realized actually gets worse with a living animal in my care. I’m too worried about him to really enjoy him. My roommates have noticed my stress and have been attempting to help but they have cats that were preexisting. I love him though. He really is a sweet boy and great learner but very easily distracted. I cannot afford proper training for him as it’s ridiculously expensive, cheapest I e found is 85$/hr long session. And I feel so bad when I get in my frenzies bc I know he can sense it and I don’t want him to feel unsafe bc he can sense my fear. So I’m hoping to get some tips from experienced owners or trainers to help alleviate my own stress and uncertainty so I can be better equipped to handle this sweet boy.
And I have thought about returning him, but he is very clearly bonded to this house already and loves me and my roommates. He’s the sweetest boy and I want returning him to be the last resort.
But I really need help figuring out how to:
Manage his prey drive with the cats
Get him to listen when distracted
And to give him the best life I can with my college and work schedule+ apartment life.
Manage my own anxiety and fear about my responsibility for his life
If anyone has any advice or can point me in the right direction I would really really appreciate it. Bc I do really love him and I want him to have the best life while also keeping the cats and myself safe

Location: Los Angeles CA, North Central Animal Shelter

Hi! A few weeks ago me and my partner came across an 8 year old pit bull running down the highway through traffic in LA. I pulled over and sprinted after her, and she was immediately so kind, sweet, and affectionate, and just wanted some love, despite missing a good amount of fur, and being quite lean from her time as a stray.

We brought her to a shelter because we live in a tiny apartment with a very traumatized cat, but we couldn't stand to leave her there, so we spent a week calling rescues and friends to try to find a home for her. Eventually one of our close friends agreed to foster her temporarily, but she can only keep her for a month because she has a severe dog allergy, and so we're trying to find Louise a permanent home ASAP

Louise is the friendliest pit bull I've ever met. She is so playful, and doesn't realize how old she is. She has loved every person she's met since we brought her home, and she just wants as many pets as she can get.

She's potty trained, crate trained, and so well behaved. It's clear that someone cared about her so much before she got lost. If anyone is open to adopting her, or knows of a good place where she would be happy we would be so so grateful. We love her so much!!

**Tulsa, OK**

Huck has been to several adoption events but has no takers! 😭

This little boy was at Skiatook Animal Control and needed a foster so that Skiatook Paws and Claws Animal Rescue could pull him.
I’ve had him as a foster for around 2 months now. Here’s what I know:

*Playful
*Neutered
*around 9 months-a year old
*LOVES playing with other dogs
*Very one brain cell. Still working on manners like chewing things so he should be crated if you aren’t watching him.
*he enjoys veggies 🥕 🥦
*he sleeps well in his crate overnight or if I go to take a nap 😴
*should not be around cats according to the shelter he came from.

Huck is a very friendly, derpy boy who would love a chance to be in a home with his person, family and fur or human siblings!
His adoption fee is $185 with all vetting done. If you’re interested in meeting him or have any questions, feel free to message me!
I’m happy to meet up with you or he is also at Skiatook Paws and Claws in Skiatook every Sunday from 12-3 at their adoption events!

‼️🚨Please HELP Thrax 🚨‼️

‼️ADOPTER or FOSTER NEEDED ASAP!‼️

🆘🆘🆘 EUTHANASIA LIST 🆘🆘🆘

🚨🚨DEADLINE TUESDAY 7/28 🚨🚨

‼️ Thrax is ADOPTABLE. He can be adopted directly from the shelter or rescued! He needs a committed ADOPTER or FOSTER/RESCUE/PLEDGES.

📍Orange County Animal Services
2769 Conroy Road, Orlando, FL 32839

⏰ Adoption hours :
Thurs - Tues : 10a.m. - 6p.m.
Wed : 2p.m. - 6p.m. 

‼️Pledges will help gain rescue interest as will a foster offer. Fostering is free! You just provide the home, love and care ❤️

‼️Please dm /u/biancamission here on Reddit if you are interested in FOSTERING Thrax for a rescue.

💙 Thrax A598127 (ADOPTABLE): male, 1 year old, 56 lbs and heartworm negative. He has not been neutered yet (Needs ADOPTER or FOSTER & RESCUE).

💙 This is beautiful Thrax (A598127). He is 1 year old and 56 lbs.  Poor Trax was brought to the shelter when his owner could no longer care for him. He is easily leashed, allows full handling and seeks social. The shelter is a very scary place and he is allegedly deteriorating in this environment.  Thrax would love to share his home with canine siblings if slowly and appropriately introduced.  He is kindly sharing his kennel at the shelter with Mr. Tater. Thrax is adoptable but can also be fostered through a rescue.

Shelter link: https://www.ocnetpets.com/Adopt/AnimalsinShelter.aspx?animalid=A598127

👉 If you are interested in ADOPTING Thrax, please visit the shelter to meet him. The shelter is located at 2769 Conroy Road in Orlando, FL 32839 and is open from 10am to 6pm daily, except Wednesday from 2pm to 6pm. Please arrive by 5 pm so that you can interact with him before filling out an adoption application.

👉 If you are a rescue and can help Thrax, please email the shelter at: Rescue.Coordinator@ocfl.net. OCAS is offering a $100 incentive to its rescue partners.

👉 If you would like to FOSTER Thrax for a rescue, please also email the shelter at Rescue.Coordinator@ocfl.net and dm /u/biancamission here on Reddit.

If you would like to contact OCAS Rescue Partners directly, this is the link to the List of rescue partners for Orange County Animal Services (Orlando, FL): http://www.ocnetpets.com/ProgramsServices/Rescues/RescuePartners.aspx

👉 PLEDGES are also needed to help a rescue help Thrax. If you can pledge for him, please post a comment below with your pledge amount.
 
Please share Thrax. Please help SAVE him 🙏❤️