The story of the little dog who was terrified of sellotape made my blood run cold - I`m assuming they taped his muzzle then did god knows what to him. But happily all these dogs have found a better life and are great examples of how forgiving dogs are. You get so much back from a rescued dog, and it`s always worth it, in my experience.

Such sad stories I have been very lucky with Mo, she doesn't seem to have any issues.
Our last rescue used to be frightened of the frying pan, the minute you picked it up she would run for cover. I don't know if she was burnt or beaten with one but what ever it stayed with her

He's a gorgeous lad

Neither of my rescues have been abused by people (although our staffy had terrible puncture wounds all over her from the dog she was being kept with before she came to us).

My friend has a terrier that was badly beaten as a puppy (only a couple of months old, had all her ribs broken and her jaw broken by her owner who was beating the whole litter of pups with a broom).

It took several months for Anna to trust her owners. She's about 8 years old now and is still frightened if her owner picks up a broom or a hose pipe.

I think sometimes the abuse is so bad that it will stay with the dog for all it's life. Maybe not so much that it remembers the actual abuse, but that it is a learned response to certain objects/situations.

Poor Shamus. And Missy and the rest of the dogs mentioned on this thread, but it's great they have great homes now.

I don't think my Roxy has been abused as such. She cowers very badly if she hears a raised voice, even if it's folk just carrying on, but using a loud voice. You can see the worry in her eyes, she has such an expressive face, more so with her ginger eyebrows!

If we're out, and we come across druggies that are speaking very loudly, she really hates it and will cower a bit, shake, her tail will be down and pull on the lead so she can get away from the situation. She still does this now, though it's not quite as bad as it was at first.

For the first while, can't remember how long exactly, she would refuse to go out at night for her last pee. She would refuse to move from where she was, hang her head and look very sad. I can only put this down to the thought that she was maybe put out at night, or thrown out one night never to return. I tried coaxing her with food, she wasn't interested and I wasn't going to drag. So, I carried her out and as soon as she did her business she trotted straight back to the door again to get in, with her body low.

I don't know for sure. At any other point in the day she's ready to go out, she loves to go out in the car and for walks, it's not a fear of going out, it was just a fear of going out last thing at night. Most of the time now she'll go out for her last pee fine, sometimes though she can't be bothered and will have to be pestered to go out! It's not fear or worry now.

Like has been said already, it's amazing how forgiving these animals are and the love you get from them, even though humans have often betrayed them in so many ways.

My parents had a rescue collie x jrt when I was growing up and she hated men with white hair. She used to wet herself if voices were raised and it took a long time before she would accept my grandad coming round. She did get better after a couple of years though, but was always clingy with my Mum. My Mum's friend's GSD was badly beaten by her first owner, who was a neighbour of the couple who have her now. They eventually managed to persuade the man to sell her to them. She is frightened of feet moving as she was kicked a lot, and even after two years in her new home, she recently threw herself on the floor and lost control of her bowels when her owner took her collar off her, she obviously thought she was going to be beaten with it. The man who abused her has just got a new Border Collie pup

I would report this man and show the local authorites the state of his last dog that he had beaten so badly. He should be banned from keeping animals. I'd have him up in court.

I have rescued lurcher who had never lived in a house before I got her and had clearly been abused .
One day I was out walking all my dogs on a lead walk we were approaching a pub and a whole lot of very drunk people came out all shouting and swearing loudly . None of my other dogs were the least bit bothered except Lizzie who was practically crawling along the pavement with fear .
It still brings tears to my eyes

Actually Claire we have no idea why Missy is so scared of sellotape - I don't think Battersea were even aware of it. she was just as petrified of scissors, but we've worked that one out of her, using a combination of teaching "touch" and the same scissors opening her favourite stinky treats.
That took about a year.

We've had her two and a half years now and she is still petrified of sellotape, though as I said, the time under the bed quaking can now be measured in minutes.

I'd love to know the whys of it.. and then I'd love ten minutes alone with the human who caused it.

Your poor boy.

I think they do, having found out some of Reah's past history, I know she was rehomed at a young age, then turned up again on a puppy farm where they were all rescued from, only to be homed again then she disappeared, turning up again at the rescue a year later, to be re homed again, then got knocked over and has been with me over nine years now. But she will NOT go out in the dark and will not get out of the car at lay-bys. Plus she has a dislike for ginger haired men.

Poor Shamus who could do that to him, or any other dog...
Jobie used to run away and cower if you were holding something and moved it to quickly while you were in the room, or if you moved your arms too quick. he doesn't now though thankfully. my friend's parson has a thing with plates, if you hold a plate up one way shes fine but if you turn it up the other way quickly she flinches.