When I bought my house many years ago it required a lot of repair before it was 'livable'. My Dad and I would meet after work at the house and put in a few hours each day trying to get things fixed up.
A couple weeks into our work we noticed a Shepherd mix in the woods and yard and assumed it belonged to a neighbor. But one day it was sleeting and the dog was just laying out in the yard covered with ice. That's when we realized she didn't have a home to go to. The kid next door confirmed it saying the dog was surviving on garbage and the dog catcher couldn't get anywhere near her.
The next day I brought a couple dog dishes, dry food and my Dad and I made a lean-to against the house with an army blanket inside. It wasn't long before we saw the food disappearing and dog hairs on the blanket. But she wouldn't let anyone near her and would run into the woods as I drove up each day.
So I started leaving leftovers from our dinner the night before on a plate out in the yard and each day brought it closer to the house. This went on for a couple weeks and she would come out of the woods, grab the food and back off. Then one day I had steak bones which I put on the plate and stepped back only a few feet from the plate and waited. She came out of the woods and approached as usual but this time she lay down to eat the meat off the bones. I took a chance and reached out to pet her. She didn't bat an eyelash, just kept gnawing away. I looked back toward the house and my Dad was standing there with a huge grin on his face. I'll never forget that moment.
After that day she wasn't afraid to let me come close though it took much longer before she let Dad get near. Within a couple weeks I had moved into the house and she moved in with me. I took her to the vet to get checked out and he showed me a huge scar under her fur and confirmed what I had suspected, that her tail had been broken and she couldn't move or wag it. She also couldn't sit down because of hip problems and either stood or lay down. Apparently she had been hit by a car or more likely badly mistreated and we are sure it must have been a man who did it since the only males she ever let get near her (or me) were my Dad and brother (made dating difficult). She required a special diet due to her prior injuries but she was worth the effort and expense.
Shadow (named because she always followed me) was my friend and security for the 8 years I was blessed to have her.
