I visited a pet shelter about 6 months ago. I went with my cousin who was looking to adopt a cat. All of a sudden, I found myself in the dog section. All it took was one look! Figaro, a little terrier, was there, very small, crouched in a corner of his enclosure. His gaze was sad, fixed but above all scared. The other puppies were licking my fingers through the bars, while Figaro retreated further to the back of his enclosure.
Talking to the manager, I asked him which puppy would be the hardest to adopt. He pointed to Figaro. He explained that he was not mean, but very fearful. Nothing is known of his history except that his mother died when he was only two weeks old.
After a long discussion with my wife, I convinced her to adopt him. We went to the center together the next day, and Figaro was still there. His fearful nature was a problem for us at first. When I took him for walks for the first two months, I was very careful because he became hyperactive when we left the house. I was always afraid that he would be run over by a car. My cousin advised me to use a dog training collar to better control him. I bought one! Two weeks later, Figaro was much better behaved.