Man shares how his little rescued dog gave him a new reason to live and breathe again

Even when life is filled with hardships, sometimes a single bond can bring hope and joy. A man and his dog, Peanut, both knew a life without much to smile about—until they found each other. Reddit user u/DontEatMyPineapple shared the heartwarming story of his journey with Peanut, a dog rescued from difficult circumstances, along with a photo of the two of them together.

"Peanut was a stray dog born in Romania. They found him and put him into a shelter where he was badly mistreated, beaten and starved. He never had someone that loved him. About a year after he was brought to the shelter, an animal rescue team raided the place and took all the dogs into a new shelter," the post began. "Peanut was struggling a lot. He didn't like other dogs and had a lot of problems with people (biting, barking, being aggressive, etc.) They tried to find a new home for him in Germany and someone actually took him home," he said. The man added that that "someone" was him who took Peanut in two years ago, without any experience of having a dog as a pet.

"I myself was mistreated in the past just as bad as Peanut. I've been beaten up by my alcoholic father. I was never good enough, no one wanted me, I was alone and I misbehaved just as much as Peanut did," the man expressed. "I didn't want to let anyone get close to me. I was very depressive and struggled with suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Until this guy waddled into my life with his tail wagging," he elaborated about his situation. He added, "In the beginning, we both struggled with each other. He was aggressive, he never walked on a leash and he didn't like it. He wasn't used to being inside a house. He disliked his bed and kept lying on the floor. The TV scared the s*** out of him."

He continued, "I was stressed out. I thought I couldn't train this dog at all. He was straight-up wild. But after a while, when I came home from work, this dude, ran up to the door, all excited, wagging his tail, his plushy right next to him or in his mouth. I liked this; I was excited to get home because I knew there was someone waiting for me!" The man got to know Peanut better with each passing day. "We started cuddling, goofing around our place, took walks, explored our area. He felt love for the first time, and so did I. He helped me with my depression and I don't know if dogs can get depressive like humans can, but I'm 100% sure if he was depressive, he isn't anymore." The post concluded, "And that's where we are today, talking our daily walk, sitting on a bench, smiling together and having a good time. He truly is my best friend and I'm his."

People appreciated the beautiful bond he created. u/slubbin_trashcat wrote, "I love you both so much. My dog saved my life many times and my story is very similar to yours. I am so glad you found each other, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness." u/Puzzled_Telephone852 commented, "Two souls saved each other and my heart is melting." u/haubenmeise remarked, "I'm so happy you both got the unconditional love you deserve. I hope you'll keep bonding and have many happy years ahead of you. You are an amazing person and you deserve all the love in the world. Thank you for taking care of Peanut. I'm sending hugs."