Nico is one dog who sure had a range of experiences in his life. What needs to be understood above all though, is that he had been heavily abused and neglected: He spent years as a fighter dog in Los Angeles, resulting in profound mental trauma and several ugly scars on various parts of his body.
His teeth were destroyed, his head full of injuries and only bits of his left ear remained.
During the time he was under the care of an animal shelter in Los Angeles, he was neglected, depressed, sad, and weary of life.
But when a picture of Nico went viral and spread on Facebook, everything changed.
A woman saw the post about the poor dog and decided to visit the shelter where Nico was being held to animal. But once there, the animal shelter was reluctant to hand Nico out. They feared that he was too dangerous, aggressive, and could bite.
But the woman knew that Nico deserved to be treated with respect and felt she couldn’t give up on him. She gave him some cake, which he gently ate right out of her hand. When the woman looked into his eyes, she knew that the animal shelter was wrong: There was nothing wrong with Nico – What was wrong was the way that he had been treated.
She had collected enough money to care for him and give him the treatment he needed and drove him from Los Angeles to Indianapolis.
There, he was cared for by Julie, a woman his new owner hired to help him back into life. It took three months to train Nico on basics.
He thrived during his time with Julie and the spark in his eyes returned.
Because his ears were ruined, he was given a vibrating collar. He learned that when it vibrates, he needed to sit or find his owner. He also had to learn to walk on a leash. Above all, he was taught that not all people are evil.
They then discovered that Nico had cancer. A tumor had spread to his ears, head, genitals and back. Thankfully, all the tumors were removed. H
A couple named Bridget and Melissa then heard about Nico, and fell in love with him.
They adopted him and welcomed him to their home and two cats. It only took about a month for Nico to grow accustomed to the cats.
Julie visits regularly and Nico recognizes her instantly, looking right into her eyes and wagging his tail.
The first year in his new home, he discovers many new things, such as snow and winter… and that he loves to play in these.
He also loves to chew on bones, and to cuddle. His favorite passtime is laying with his head in his owner’s laps.
Nico’s owners decided they wanted to help more dogs… and give Nico a friend. They contacted an animal shelter and were informed about Brisby. A young, deaf pup who desperately needed a family.
And Nico, despite having gotten used to being the center of attention, quickly learned to love his new friend.
Sadly, after eight months as a happy dog, Nico’s mood began to shift. He no longer seemed to want to play with his new family or friend, and wasn’t feeling good.
The cancer had come back.
However, after a tough fight, Nico once again defeats the disease.
According to the family, it is difficult to believe that Nico was once a fighter dog, as he is so full of love.
This is not just a story about Nico and how he conquered his challenges, it is also a story reflecting not to pre-determine a dogs’ fate and sometimes pushing to help them works instead. One should not give up prematurely, there is always hope!
Here’s a video of Nico:
Source: YouTube
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