Rescue dog who'd never seen a comfy bed before left 'too scared' to sleep in it

A dog has melted hearts on social media after it was revealed why he refused to sleep on comfy beds at an animal shelter.

Derek, the black and white Bucovina shepherd dog, was offered a nice and comfortable bed when he first arrived Oakwood Dog Rescue in Hull on April 3.

But the four-year-old canine chose to sleep next to it, on the cold concrete floor in the kennel.

Videos shared onto the animal rescue’s Facebook page showed Derek walking around his kennel as he explored the environment.

There seemed to be nothing but a thin sheet at the back of the room for him to sleep on and viewers were quick to comment on the clip asking why that was.

Volunteers at the shelter responded: “We’ve received a lot of comments on that video from people upset that he didn’t have a comfy bed.

“But the sad reality was, we gave Derek a bed the moment he arrived but he was too scared to use it.

“Derek has never had a bed to sleep in before. He spent his life sleeping on concrete outside so, when he got a bed, he didn’t know what to do with it and just slept next to it.”

“Derek arrived very terrified. He had a traumatic transport on which he refused food and water for days.

“When he came he barely made it into the yard before he flopped down and froze in fear.”

Thankfully, the adorable pooch has become more comfortable with his surroundings.

He can now snooze on the warm bed without getting disturbed.

“Derek is coming out of his shell,” the centre wrote in the caption to a video on April 11. “He definitely was not ready to get up and go outside to the toilet.”

A spokeswoman for Oakwood Dog Rescue told Hull Live: “He has now started to very much enjoy his home comforts! He’s gaining weight each day, absolutely loves his giant comfy bed and has even started to trust us.

“He now greets us with a wagging tail instead of cowering away. He’s still a lazy boy – who can blame him now he loves his bed.

“He’s nearly five years old and his favourite treat is hot dogs!”

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk