“[H]e’s never had human interaction before …”
When Tom Collins arrived at Border Tails Rescue, he was overwhelmed with fear. He was one of 34 beagles saved from a severe hoarding situation and brought to the Illinois shelter for a fresh start.
The first time shelter advocate Eric Noxon met him, Tom wouldn’t come out to say hello. Instead, he tucked himself beneath the front desk, trembling. Even a simple treat couldn’t coax him out. Having spent his entire life confined to a cramped cage inside a dark garage, Tom had never experienced kindness from people — so any human attention felt frightening.
“He’s never had human interaction before,” Noxon shared on TikTok.
Hoping to help Tom decompress, Noxon decided to foster him. He believed that a calm home environment and one-on-one care might give the timid pup the chance he needed to open up.
Once they got home, Noxon gently bathed Tom to wash away the shelter smell and set up a cozy space filled with soft, warm blankets. Though nervous at first, Tom quickly discovered the comfort of those blankets — something he’d never known before.
“Before this, all he knew was a cold garage floor,” Noxon explained.
After Tom began settling in, Noxon felt it was time to try something new: a walk outside. The first few steps were shaky. Tom’s tail stayed tucked, and his body trembled as they left the house.
“At first, it didn’t seem promising,” Noxon admitted.
But little by little, Tom’s curiosity began to replace his fear. He cautiously sniffed nearby bushes and watched birds flutter overhead. As the walk continued, his confidence blossomed. Soon, he was eagerly pulling on the leash, encouraging Noxon to pick up the pace. By the end of the walk, Tom looked like a completely different dog — bright-eyed and beaming.
“Oh my God, I’m so proud of him,” Noxon said. “That’s real progress.”
Over the following weeks, Tom transformed even more. He started going on long runs and confidently explored every part of Noxon’s home on his own.
“He used to be afraid of everything,” Noxon wrote. “Now he’s fearless.”
Seeing how far Tom had come, Noxon knew he was ready for a permanent family. A woman who had followed Tom’s journey through Noxon’s videos instantly fell in love with him and visited the shelter to adopt him. Noxon couldn’t have been happier. The once-terrified dog was now prepared to embrace his new life with his forever mom.
“This is one of those moments you never forget,” Noxon shared. “When I first met Tom, he was hiding behind a desk because he was so scared. Now he’s overcome every obstacle and found his forever home. I’ve never fostered a dog quite like Tom, and seeing him leave with someone so perfect for him is just incredible.”