Teresa Hwang shared a moving story through her TikTok @ ketophoria account in which she shows that love can overcome any obstacle. The 51-year-old was afraid of dogs until she met Boo, the adorable little animal who completely stole her heart.

Teresa is a special education teacher at an elementary school in Oakville, Canada and was bitten twice, which generated this great phobia for most of her life.

Teresa and Boo’s story was viewed more than 1.6 million times and gained 449.9 thousand likes in just a few days on that social network.

Teresa and Boo are inseparable

Before meeting Teresa, Boo stayed in the shelter also feeling fear towards people . Without a doubt, the union of the woman and this puppy was a perfect combination, since both have evolved together for two years.

The couple had to take small steps and to achieve this they have always had patience and love in mind.

Teresa told Bored Panda :

Sometimes I still can’t believe I have a dog, much less love one as much as Boo. I tell people that he is like the son I never had. I not only love him because he loves me and needs me. I love him for who he is, exactly how he is, for all that he has overcome and for the joy he has brought into my life.

The woman reported that at the age of 10 and 20 she was bitten on the forehead and leg respectively by her friends’ dogs, thus developing a phobia that led her to the extreme of having to cross the streets to avoid running into a canine. even though they had a leash.

When she visited someone who had a dog at home, she asked the favor of removing him from where she was, because her fear of dogs prevented her from being calm.

Although he did manage to interact a bit with quite friendly dogs at times, he was always scared when they growled or barked while playing.For several years, Teresa’s boyfriend had been asking her to adopt a dog, but the decision was finally made two years ago when they decided to take care of her sister’s 16-year-old puppy for two weeks.

The couple investigated numerous rescue shelters all the way to Niagara Dog Rescue where they met Boo, who was then called Patches.

Boo had been in a shelter foster home for 6 months, after staying in two Texas shelters and with another foster family.

When the woman met Boo in person, her first thought was that he was much smaller than he appeared in her photos. He could also notice that he was very nervous, he was sitting on a bench next to his foster mother.

15 minutes after Teresa arrived at the place and spoke with those who were taking care of him, he finally decided to approach slowly. When the woman looked at him he gave her a lick on the nose and quickly withdrew, hiding behind his foster mother again.

The foster mother told Teresa that the puppy’s reaction had been quite unusual because he doesn’t usually get close to people, and due to Boo’s cuddly behavior, Teresa’s fear of dogs seemed to have drifted away. She knew she should give him a chance to be a part of her home.

During the first months Boo was not very sociable, he followed Teresa around the house but did not approach, he did not eat in front of her, he did not touch her toys, and his tail remained between his legs.

The puppy even shivered when he heard noises like the one from the washing machine and the oven. Without knowing the dog’s life history fully, the woman deduced that it most likely had a difficult past.

The couple decided to use different tools to control Boo’s anxiety, which was quite a difficult challenge, but ultimately they got good results. His tail began to wag during walks, and a couple of months later he started playing with the ball.

Teresa felt a great thrill when she heard Boo bark with excitement for the first time.

The woman said:

“I cried happy tears because it was like Boo was a puppy again.”

Without a doubt, the advances that Boo has made in these two years have been surprising. He likes to be pampered, to give Teresa kisses on the face, he has learned to sit up, he looks for food, and he goes to sleep very happily in his bed every night.

Teresa said:

“He wags his tail and smiles when you ask him if he wants to go for a walk… He has learned a lot and I am very proud of him.”

Teresa is not afraid of Boo, even if she barks or growls to communicate emotion or discomfort. Even so, she does not feel able to interact comfortably with dogs other than him.

The woman affirms that teaching Boo to be confident has also generated a positive change in the way she views her students, recognizing that many behaviors such as avoidance or even aggression are related to anxiety and fear.

Fear prevents people from exploring, risking life, and of course trusting others. That is why the woman advises that to overcome fear in a relationship it is important to first create an environment of trust and security, just as she did with Boo.

Teresa said:

“When people praise me for saving his life saying I rescued him, I always have the same answer: ‘Boo rescued me.’ We overcome our fears together. We heal each other. We show that love is greater than fear.