When Rory Cellan-Jones and his wife, Diane Coyle, decided to adopt a dog named Sophie, they assumed she was a bit shy. The last rescue dog they had was nervous at first, so they assumed Sophie would be too. However, Sophie was even more scared than anyone could have imagined.
For weeks, Sophie hid behind the couple’s couch, sticking her head out only when she smelled the food. Rory began posting videos of Sophie’s progress on social media, and soon, she had fans around the world cheering for her.
Too scared to accept love
Sophie lived in a barn most of her life before coming to the house in London. She came with a pack of dogs from Romania because public shelters in the country are very crowded.
Immediately, Rory tried to take Sophie for a walk, but the puppy wouldn’t budge when on the leash. So instead, he lets her explore his new home and she quickly finds a comfortable hiding place behind the couch. During her first few weeks in her permanent home, she rarely ventured out of the sofa, despite her family’s efforts.
Rory said: “We thought she would be worried – because our dog we got from the UK Dogs’ Trust, Cabbage, was very flighty and nervous and very eager. take a walk. “[But] she turned to stone.
Rory tried placing high-value items like chicken nuggets next to the sofa to lure Sophie out, but was not always successful. Sometimes, she will crawl out to eat nearby food, but she is not yet ready to walk freely.
Sophie progressed at her own pace
Over time, Sophie progressed step by step. Occasionally, she steps out from behind the couch to see what her human is up to. But if they make any loud sounds or sudden movements, she will rush back to her hiding place. However, every day, she is more and more curious about her surroundings.
“I’m not a very patient person, but [this] definitely taught me patience,” Rory said.
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Rory posts Sophie’s progress on his social media account. Some of his first posts about Sophie were photos of her peeking from behind the sofa, but now he shares multiple videos of her hanging out in different areas of the house. Her progress may seem small to most dog parents, but for a traumatized dog like Sophie, even small advances are impressive!
Many people have loved Sophie’s journey and they eagerly await updates on her progress. For updates on Sophie’s journey, you can follow Rory on Twitter or Instagram. Rory and Diane are so kind for opening up to Sophie!
Featured pictures: Instagram
