A dog has become a service animal after getting rescued from a truck that was destined to deliver hundreds of dogs to a meat market in China.
Freya was one of over 300 animals getting transported in tiny cages in a truck set to reach Yulin, the city infamous for its annual dog meat festival.
After local activists stopped the truck, Freya, who was in a very poor condition, was taken care of by Slaughter House Survivors in Harbin.
Years later, Freya, who was previously named Ariel by her rescuers, looks unrecognizable and is enjoying her new life as a service animal with her family in California.
“There were over 300 dogs – sick, dying and so many with life threatening injuries. Most were very wary of human contact, understandably so given all the abuse they had been subjected to,” SHS co-founder Emily said in an interview with LADbible.
“But along came Ariel, straight up to us, with her tail wagging away, a big grin, and a great big sore wound on the top of her head.
“Despite how excruciatingly painful it must have been, she never ever lashed out. She let us clean and treat it each day, and just gave us love in return.”
Despite being in a bad shape and suffering from the viral disease known as canine distemper, Freya beat the odds and recovered from her grim past.
Eventually, the rescuers were also able to find Freya a new home whereas her new owner helped her become a service animal.
“Last week her adopter reached out to us to let us know how Ariel, now called Freya, was getting on. Not only was she thriving physically and mentally, but she has saved her human’s life TWICE in 2 months,” Harbin SHS explained in a Facebook post.
“Freya is now a registered Cardiac Alert and PTSD Alert trained dog, able to detect heart attacks and extreme stress, which she did twice last month enabling her adopter to get the urgent medical attention she needed.
“Humans failed Ariel/Freya in the worst possible way. And in return she just wants to help us.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!