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Heartwarming footage has surfaced of the moment a frightened rescue dog finally let his guard down and began to trust a kind shelter worker.
Katie Grissum, who works as communications and design coordinator for KC Pet Project animal rescue in Kansas City, Missouri, introduced followers on TikTok to Tomato, a "shy and fearful" 3-year-old terrier pit bull mix who was struggling to adjust to life in the shelter.
In a video posted to Grissum's TikTok account katie.and.the.snoots, she can be seen entering Tomato's enclosure. As the clip begins, Tomato can be seen cowering in the corner, fearful of Grissum and his new surroundings.
Grissum has a decade of experience working in animal shelters and said that sadly, Tomato's reaction to life in the shelter is an all-too-common one.
"Shelter life is stressful and scary for new arrivals," she told Newsweek. "We have 271 dogs in our shelter so you can only imagine the chaos that these new arrivals are having to suddenly deal with. All of their senses are being triggered 24/7 and it's not uncommon for pets to react in a shy and fearful way."
The KC Pet Project is a "Fear Free Certified Shelter," meaning staff there do everything they can to make it the least stressful setting possible for their pets. But, with so many dogs to care for, their efforts can only go so far.
"No matter how nice our shelter is or how much we try to lessen the stress...it's just not a replacement for a loving home," Grissum admits. Not much is known about Tomato's life before he arrived at the KC Pet Project. He was picked up as a stray and it's unclear whether he was lost or simply abandoned.
At that particular moment, all Grissum knew was that Tomato needed help and as a shelter worker with three dogs of her own, she knew just how to give him that.
In a busy shelter environment, one of the greatest gifts you can give any dog is your undivided attention. A 2018 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science found that just 15 minutes of petting was enough to boost the overall well-being of a shelter dog.
That's why fostering a dog can have such a huge positive impact. It's also how Grissum was able to help bring Tomato out of his shell. It started with a couple of "smelly treats" on the floor of his enclosure.
Grissum has an Italian greyhound and had found, from previous experience, that some dogs enjoy rolling over these treats so they can smell like them. That was the case with Tomato, who happily rolled over the treats, stopping briefly to sniff Grissum's hand.
Having had his fun with the treats, Tomato graduated from there to sniffing and even licking Grissum's hand. Tomato's sniffing continued, with the pet pooch taking a particular interest in the shelter worker's shoes.
Eventually, with Tomato seemingly comfortable in her presence, Grissum decided to give Tomato a couple of strokes under the chin. That's when the breakthrough came with the rescue pup proceeding to put his head under her hand as if asking her to pet him again.
To Grissum, this was a moment she's experienced countless times. For Tomato, it was the moment he realized he could trust her. "It is always such a sweet moment and I have many times felt the dog give out a huge sigh of relief," she said.
Grissum says Tomato is a sweet dog who simply needs the "right" family to come along. "Tomato will need a family that will take it slow and give him some space at first," she said. "He joins in our morning playgroups and has done well so, in my opinion, he would benefit from a home that already has a dog or two. This could help give him the confidence he needs as he settles into a new home."
Ultimately, she hopes that the video showing how she was able to effect a change in Tomato will inspire others to take action in their community to help homeless pets.
"Right now, all over the nation, shelters are critically full and we need support more now than ever," she said. "Whether that is through volunteering, fostering, or even advocating for ways to help people keep the pets they love."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
About the writer
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more