When Sophie arrived in December 2022, she was terrified of the world.
The rescue dog, brought from Romania via Friends Indeed, spent the first six months of her life tucked behind a sofa in her new London home — too afraid to venture into rooms or go on walks.
Her humans, Rory Cellan-Jones and Diane Coyle, understood the wounds that accompany a rescue. Sophie was shy, understandably so.
They gave her space, kindness, patience. For over a year she refused to leave the backyard, let alone walk beyond it. Vet visits had to be carefully orchestrated.
Nothing changed until they started her on fluoxetine (Prozac) and enlisted the help of a dog behaviorist, Si Wooler.
Rory admitted he was skeptical — it could take six weeks to see any effect. But on day 42 of the sixth week, everything shifted.
Diane walked into the hallway and saw Sophie standing, looking cheerful, curious. It was the first time she’d ventured beyond her “safe zone.”
That moment cracked the barrier. Doors that were once invisible walls became pathways. Sophie slowly grew bolder. She explored rooms.
She visited upstairs. She became a dog who could walk.
For Rory, this was more than dog training — it was lifeline. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019, Rory had longed to return to his morning walks, something he used to share with a previous dog.
With Sophie by his side, that longing became possible again. By February 2024, they were walking daily at 6 a.m. together.
Walking with a dog is simple for many — leash, steps, fresh air.
But for Rory, with tremoring fingers, fasteners, and the uncertainty of Parkinson’s, it became a dance requiring patience.
Sophie learned to wait while Rory secured her harness — five parts, five motions.
She learned to be slow, to be steady, to be his dog, not just another fearful creature.
Sophie’s progress also captured hearts online. Rory shared her story from early on (hashtag #sophiefromromania), and people followed her daily emergence from fear.
That journey resonated — because it’s not just about one dog learning to trust, but about humans learning to trust again.
Now Sophie is far from the dog who cowered behind furniture. She plays with other dogs. She naps in the living room. She stretches out on sofas she once avoided.
She even sleeps in the room with Rory and Diane. Her world has expanded. She’s still a shy soul, cautious in crowds and new places, but much less broken.
To Rory, Sophie taught him a lesson beyond training: accept the dog you have, not the one you dreamed of.
He acknowledges the journey isn’t over — that she’ll always carry parts of her fearful past.
But now she’s a constant companion, a helper, a walking buddy in his fight against Parkinson’s.
What began as rescue was transformed into rescue of another kind: one of hope, belonging, and shared struggle.
