A dog that was chained his entire life has nothing but love to share with people he meets following his rescue.

Toro the pit bull mix was taken in by the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter after rescuers found him outside an abandoned house where he was chained to a fence.

Though the pooch was extremely shut down and nervous after first arriving at the shelter and starting to get used to indoor life, his attitude changed completely and he couldn’t stop sharing his love with the people around him.

“When he first came in, he was very nervous and shut down. He’s become more comfortable with people he’s used to, but is still a bit nervous in the shelter setting,” the shelter’s kennel supervisor, Melissa Fogarty, said in an interview with The Dodo.

“I was probably one of the first people to take him out for an actual socialized walk when he came in. The hugging happened probably within 15 minutes of having him out loose in our side play yard. He just kind of crawled up to me, climbed on my lap, and pressed himself against my chest.”

As the dedicated rescuer added, this wasn’t a one-time show of affection, whereas Toro now gives hugs to all of his friends, both old and new.

“Every time he comes out of the kennel, his first reaction is to hug the person walking him, and anyone, really, he comes in contact with,” Fogarty added.

Following his rescue, Toro was quickly adopted only to be brought back to the shelter after new owners discovered they weren’t a good match.

Following more than a year at the shelter, however, Toro is more than ready to start a new life with the owners he deserves and continue giving hugs to everyone he meets.

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