Over 40 dogs were rescued by the Houston Humane Society from a horrible hoarding case where all of the dogs lived in a broken-down trailer among filth and trash. 

One of those dogs was also a senior Chihuahua named Toothless. 

Given the horrible living conditions and everything these poor dogs lived through, it comes as no surprise that Toothless was very feral and untrusting. 

However, that quickly changed once a kind-hearted lady decided to give him a chance and adopt him. 

Toothless’ Story 

According to Madeleine Cantrell (Toothless’ mom), from Houston, this little dog was very feral and untrusting at the time of the rescue, suggesting that he and all other dogs had very little human interaction throughout their lives. 

The place and the condition where they all lived were absolutely horrifying. The trailer was literally filled with feces and trash, and they probably had to fight for the little food they had. 

Once Toothless arrived at the Houston shelter, he continued to constantly growl and bark at everyone, even attempting to bite those who tried to handle him. 

Having worked with the Houston shelter for a long time, Madeleine couldn’t resist helping the dogs after she had heard their heartbreaking story. 

“My coworker and I opened the kennel and we had a towel, so we placed it on him and he just froze. We discovered that he wasn’t really reacting out of aggression. It was more [out of] fear. He was very confused because he’s only known living in trash and disheveled furniture for his whole life,” Madeleine told GeoBeats Animals.  

He simply didn’t know how to interact with humans. He was just afraid.  

Despite the not-so-good first impression, Madeleine still wanted to foster him and give this poor dog a second chance. 

They discovered that he was covered in fleas and had no teeth, so she decided to name him Toothless.  

From ‘Feral’ To Loving  

When Madeleine brought Toothless home, everything started to change. 

At first, he was running from her out of fear, and he tried to gum her a little a couple of times, but the next morning, he was already a completely different dog. 

When she held him for the first time, she could see that he didn’t know what love actually looked like. 

“The next day though, he was a completely different dog. I brought him to work with me again, and he was pawing at my legs because he wanted to be held,” Madeleine said. 

It seemed like over the course of 24 hours, his heart softened, and he actually realized that he liked to be loved by someone. 

A couple of days later, Madeleine officially adopted Toothless and now they are inseparable. 

“He is one of the sweetest little dogs I’ve ever had, even though he may only let his guard down for me. Toothless has fallen in love with my other dog, Sunshine, and he loves to play with her and snuggle by her. I have honestly never been a chihuahua person before this, but he has made me have a soft spot for them,” Madeleine wrote in an Instagram post. 

Today, Toothless is living his best life ever. He loves his mom and is very clingy and protective of her. 

He is still undergoing treatment for heartworm, but as for his eyes, they are not sure what happened to them. Otherwise, he is a healthy and happy senior dog. 

“Often people are so willing to overlook dogs like that. I just think that they are so grateful to their adoptive families and it’s gonna be the best love you will ever know,” Madeleine concluded. 

Toothless’ story is a real example of how important it is to rescue dogs and give them a second chance because it can quite literally change their lives forever.