The day after she was abandoned, Marina Tarashevska happened to spot the heartbroken dog. Tarashevska is the co-founder of the rescue group Dallas DogRRR and she instantly grew worried when she saw the distressed pup. Tarashevska spoke to some neighbours who explained the awful situation. She decided to help the poor little girl, but this proved to be easier said than done. The pup was convinced that her family would come back for her as long as she stayed where they’d left her. She had no interest in being taken somewhere by a stranger. And she definitely didn’t want to be separated from her blanket – her only source of comfort and her one connection to her family. Whenever Tarashevska tried to approach the pup, she ran away.

But the pup was deeply attached to the blanket. Every time she ran away, she eventually returned to her blanket and clung to it once more. Tarashevska decided to use this to her advantage. She slowly started pulling the blanket down the street and toward her own house, and the pup followed. Eventually, they’d come all the way to Tarashevska’s house. At this point, Tarashkevska managed to capture the pup and bring her inside her kennel.

Getting hold of the pup was step one, but she had a long road of recovery ahead of her. The neglected pup, now named Camilla, was in desperate need of both physical and mental care and was cripplingly nervous and afraid. “She basically was curled up into a ball in the back of the crate. You could touch her, but she was frozen in fear.”

She also had wounds on her neck, which a vet determined was either caused by fighting another dog, or caused by a too-tight collar which had embedded itself in her skin. Camilla received surgery on her neck and began her physical healing.

And slowly, she also began her emotional healing process. The progress was slow but steady; gradually, Camilla began trusting the people around her more and more. After being rescued, she moved into a loving foster home, and her new foster family helped her believe in love and kindness again. They gave her all the love and affection she needed, as well as the space she needed, and eventually, she was comfortable enough to initiate cuddling and ask for attention.

Thanks to the Dallas DogRRR, Camilla has gotten a new shot at life and gets to experience true love and affection. She never has to feel like a burden ever again, and she can trust that she will always be loved and taken care of.