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When Rory Cellan-Jones and his wife, Diane Coyle, decided to adopt a dog named Sophie, they expected her to be a little shy. The last rescue dog they’d had was very nervous at first, so they assumed Sophie would be similar. However, Sophie ended up being even more scared than anyone could’ve imagined.
For weeks, Sophie hid behind the couple’s couch, only poking her head out when she smelled food. Rory started posting videos of Sophie’s progress on social media, and soon, she had fans all over the world rooting for her.
Sophie lived in a barn for most of her life before arriving at her London home. She came with a group of dogs from Romania because the public shelters in the country are very crowded.
Right away, Rory tried to take Sophie for a walk, but the pup wouldn’t budge on a leash. So, he let her explore her new home instead, and she quickly found a comfortable hiding spot behind the couch. For the first few weeks in her forever home, she rarely ventured out from behind the sofa, despite the family’s efforts.
“We’d been expecting that she would be nervous – because our dog that we got from a British rescue organization Dogs’ Trust, Cabbage, was very flighty and nervy and very eager to go for walks,” Rory said. “[But] she’s petrified.”
Rory tried putting high-value treats like pieces of chicken next to the sofa to coax Sophie out, but it wasn’t always successful. Sometimes, she would creep out to eat food that was nearby, but she wasn’t ready to walk around freely yet.
Over time, Sophie made progress one step at a time. Once in a while, she came out from behind the couch to see what her humans were doing. But if they made any loud sounds or sudden movements, she would rush back to her hiding place. However, every day, she gets more and more curious about her surroundings.
“I’m not a very patient person, but [this] has certainly taught me some patience,” Rory said.
Rory posts Sophie’s progress on his social media accounts. His first few posts of Sophie were photos of her peeking out from behind the sofa, but now, he shares many videos of her hanging out in different areas of the house. Her progress might seem small to most dog parents, but for a traumatized dog like Sophie, even little improvements are impressive!
Many people have fallen in love with Sophie’s journey, and they eagerly wait for updates on her progress. To stay up to date on Sophie’s journey, you can follow Rory on Twitter or Instagram. Rory and Diane are very kind for opening their home and hearts to Sophie!
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