'Nervous' Dog Dumped Outdoors Falls in Love With Pit Bull After Her Rescue

Dog lover Cristina Speaks had spotted a stray dog in need of a home a few times, but whenever she tried to approach it, the pup would run away in fear. Fortunately, she had just the dog in mind to help her.

During her struggle to help the stray dog, Speaks was walking her pit bull, named Journey, when the two dogs became intrigued by one another and they appeared to strike up an instant bond.

Speaks shared the moment the two dogs crossed paths on TikTok (@cris_s76), with the caption: "Looks as though I have a new pup."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals notes that just six percent of dogs kept as pets have been rescued as a stray, while 34 percent come from breeders and another 23 percent are from animal shelters.

As soon as Journey saw the stray he became fascinated by it and craned to get a better look, until the stray finally let him come closer. With Journey in tow, the stray warmed to Speaks and followed her home, although she was still "so nervous."

The viral TikTok video, which has over 314,000 views, showed how quickly Journey and the stray—who Speaks named Maxine—struck up a friendship.

After sharing how Journey helped her rescue Maxine, Speaks, from North Carolina, told Newsweek about the instant connection between the dogs.

She said: "This little pup had been hanging around our neighborhood for about a week. I had attempted to get her to come to me multiple times before this day, without any luck. Anytime someone would get close to her, she would just run away.

"The day the TikTok was taken was the first time my pup had seen her. We were out for a walk when she caught sight of her curled up in the bed she'd made for herself next to the building.

"I had to get back to work, so we went around the corner to take Journey back inside, and as we were going the little one came around the corner and up to my pup, begging not to leave. She followed us right inside after that, and the rest is history."

Once Speaks had cleaned Maxine up and checked her over, she took her to the vet to find out if she was chipped, but sadly she wasn't. This didn't deter her from finding a home for the dog though, as she posted about Maxine on multiple lost pet websites in the hope that someone would come forward.

When she posted about the stray on a Facebook group, someone offered Maxine a loving home if no previous owner came forward. Speaks kept Maxine for 10 days, much to Journey's utter joy, before she went to her new forever home.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep her, but I did find her a home with a loving family where she is doing amazing," Speaks continued.

"When I was looking for her owners on the Facebook group for a lot of people in the Raleigh area, one of the members commented to say that if I wasn't able to locate the owners, then she was interested in having her.

"I'm now Facebook friends with her new mom. Maxine has settled right into her new family and is doing wonderfully."

The TikTok video has received a lot of love online, with hundreds of comments about how cute Journey was with Maxine.

One person wrote: "Thank you so much for rescuing this poor baby! Your dog was so patient and gentle with the new one. Beautiful story, they're both adorable!"

Another comment reads: "Your dog comforting [her] until she decided that it was okay!"

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