Stray dogs may be living a hard life on the streets, but they often have the kindest and purest souls.They show aggression to mask their fear when approached by strangers, but the truth is, they’ve been alone for so long they don’t know how to respond to human touch.

These precious animals simply want to be loved, and they’re just out there waiting for the right person to give them that.

A perfect example of such a stray is Neville, a Jack Russell terrier mix. Susanne came across his photo while she was checking her local rescue’s website. Upon seeing the dog, Susanne knew she had to have him.

Susanne took him home and immediately observed the effects of Neville’s dark history. While he felt safe in his new home, the dog’s demeanor would change when mealtime came.

We believe he’d been used for breeding and had clearly been treated badly,” Susanne recalled. “At first, he used to compete for food and tried to feed directly from the floor or from my other dog’s bowl.”

Because of this odd behavior, Susanne trained Neville to eat from a bowl. And ever since learning how to, the dog treasured that bowl and claimed it as his own.

As soon as he arrived at the shelter, the staff knew that he once belonged to a home. The dog was smart, and he was a big lover of food and treats.

He knew that if he behaved well, he would be given lots of them. Oliver loved eating so much that he developed the habit of carrying his food bowl everywhere he went! The dog would have the container in his mouth most of the time, even when he was moved to his permanent kennel.

Two years later, the bowl is still his favorite thing in the entire world, and he isn’t keen on hiding it. The pup takes it with him wherever he goes. With a little help from Susanne, Neville even carries the bowl to his bed and sleeps on it.