My daughter and her boyfriend fostered a dog that had been badly abused by a man. The dog was terrified of men. However, they agreed to work with the dog. Wally is a larger dog and could do damage if he bit, but he was more shy and terrified than aggressive. Ed was becoming very frustrated with Wally as he could not even get Wally in the kennel. He carried treats around in his pocket, and after a few weeks, Wally would shyly go to him for a treat and run away. However, my daughter had a trip to Germany planned that summer, and Ed was left alone with Wally and their other dog. When Julie came home, Wally was much better and would come to Ed. They adopted Wally, and he has been with them for about a year. He is still shy and a little stand off-ish, but they were willing to hang in there. I think if you are consistent and work with the dog in a loving manner, as long as the dog is not vicious, it will work out in the end.
