Dogs possess an astonishing ability to overcome trauma and embrace love again, even after unimaginable suffering.
Some require extensive rehabilitation, while others, like the remarkable Cheesecake, refuse to let their capacity for affection be stifled.
Many know Isabel Klee as the incredible foster mom behind Tiki, the internet-famous rescue who recently found his forever home.
Always ready to help another canine in need, Klee was on her way to pick up Cheesecake from a New York City shelter.
She braced herself for a dog in dire straits.
As she explained in a TikTok from @simonsits, Cheesecake was “completely emaciated,” a victim of severe neglect and abuse.
The video’s caption heartbreakingly revealed, “Cheesecake was abandoned, tied to a pole, starved and left to die.”
Upon arrival at the Animal Care Centers of NYC, with a special nod to Muddy Paws Rescue, Cheesecake was brought out.
Despite his horrific past, Klee was struck by his immediate sweetness.
“He’s even cuter than I was expecting,” she remarked. The little white and black-spotted dog, wearing a sweater, initially seemed nervous.
But as he approached his new foster mom, his wispy tail began to wag incessantly.
When his sweater was removed, the stark reality of his emaciation was clear, his ribs painfully protruding.
Yet, even in such a fragile state, Cheesecake melted into Klee’s arms, his tail never stopping its happy rhythm as they headed home.
“We’re gonna have so much fun together,” Klee promised him.
With a rockstar foster mom like Isabel Klee, Cheesecake is finally set to receive all the love, affection, and care he so profoundly deserves.