A Heartbreaking First Encounter
When photographer Rebecca Rood walked through the corridors of Whitfield County Animal Shelter, she expected to see many faces longing for homes.
But one dog, named Stewart, immediately stood out. Huddled in the corner of his kennel, his entire body language spoke volumes. His frame trembled, his head hung low, and his desperate attempt to disappear into the wall revealed the weight of his trauma.
Rebecca quickly learned that Stewart’s story was as painful as his posture suggested. He had been discovered in the woods near Dalton, Georgia, cruelly abandoned and tied to a tree.
A thick leather belt had been fastened around his neck, cutting into his skin and leaving behind raw marks. Even when rescuers tried to remove the belt, Stewart recoiled in fear, growling not out of aggression but out of sheer terror. His past had stripped away his ability to trust.