Touching story of dog who survived house fire, turned into therapy dog, bringing solace to burn victims

Taka is a Shiba Inu with a terrible history who uses his experiences to give people hope and consolation.

The nine-year-old dog was seriously injured in a fire in 2018, and after some time at the Care More Animal Hospital, he was adopted by one of the vet techs, Crystal Lesley, who fell head over heals for the friendly canine.

Taka had won the hearts of everyone in the hospital, but it was during his treatment that he formed a unique relationship with Lesley, who decided that she would be the one to foster him.

Lesley will ultimately enroll Taka in therapy dog training to help him soothe others in similar situations.

Coming home with Lesley was a joyful occasion for Taka, who had lately been through a lot. In the fire, he had lost not only his sight, but also his family.

The fire that damaged Taka’s face and blinded him broke out in his family home when he was napping in the afternoon.

The terrible fire erupted unexpectedly, causing his family to evacuate without him.

Taka eventually managed to escape on his own and survive the fire, but he was severely burnt and required immediate medical attention.

Taka’s life was saved because to the hard effort of the caring veterinarians at Care More Hospital. It took several weeks to make him fit enough to rejoin the rest of the world, and Taka would not be able to see his family again.

His family, stunned by the severity of his injuries, had doubts about their ability to provide Taka with the specialized care he would require.

They decided it would be best to leave Kata in the hospital. As a result, Kata was left to undergo his treatment and rehabilitation on his alone, and when the time came for him to leave the hospital, he needed a foster home.

Taka’s family’s difficult decision would eventually lead him to the happy life he has now, but it must have been heartbreaking for the poor pup to lose both his sight and his family at the time.

Taka was overjoyed when he finally found a new, loving home with his foster mom.

And what was supposed to be a temporary stay as Taka looked for a new forever home quickly turned permanent.

Lesley realized she could never part with this sweet, positive, and caring pooch, so she adopted him and became his official dog-mom.

However, living together was not always simple. Taka didn’t get along with his new doggie siblings at first, so Lesley enrolled him in the Canine Training Project.

Taka received the instruction and structure he required to feel more confident and safe.

Lesley decided to enroll Taka in Therapy Dog training since he was doing so well in training and appeared to love it.

Taka, she realized, had the friendly and reassuring personality that would make him an ideal Therapy Dog.

And, because of his own experiences, he would be especially qualified to connect to burn sufferers.

Taka has been in that burning building for more than a year, and his life has altered forever. He’s come a long way since then.

He’s made lifelong friends at Care More Animal Hospital, has a whole new family to call his own, and has just completed his Therapy Dog training. Taka’s Journey, where he gets up to all kinds of charming and heartwarming things, is where you can keep up with him.

It’s remarkable how much can happen in a year, and we’re confident that Taka will improve the lives of many people in the next year.