Watch moment rescued fighting dog who forgot how to bark finally gets his voice back

By Leo Black via SWNS

This is the tear-jerking moment a man finally got his rescue dog to wag its tail and bark for joy - SIX YEARS after he saved him from a fighting pit.

Chris, an IT professional, took in tattered and traumatized Scooby after he was recovered during a police raid on an illegal dog fighting ring.

Mixed breed Scooby spent over a year in a local shelter until the court case was settled.

Even then Scooby was at-risk of being put down, as no one wanted to adopt a dog with a fighting past.

The dog - aged between seven and nine years old - was completely traumatized from its treatment by the dog fighters.

But Chris, from Montana, who asked for his personal details to be kept private for fear of being found by the dogfighters, had other ideas and rescued Scooby in 2016.

He has spent the last six years rehabilitating the emotionally damaged dog, even having to teach him to eat treats and bark again.

Chris’s main focus has been to train Scooby to be normal - rather than well-behaved.

Even his misbehavior was celebrated, to the point that when Scooby chews up rubbish in the house, it was considered a sign of him becoming a 'normal dog'.

Chris has been working tirelessly to heal Scooby, even barking and howling at him to encourage him to find his voice.

The long process came to a significant milestone last year after Scooby plucked up the courage to yawn and squeal - and wag his tail - and three years of silence.

Chris said: “He was different than the other fighting dogs. His temperament was different.

“There were two-to-three years of no sound. I was like 'dude, we have got to change this'.

“That’s one of my favorite things about him. His willingness to do that and change.”

Chris came across Scooby shortly after his father had passed away, and the dog represented much more than just an animal to him.

He added: “When I found him I was going through a tough time. I was like, 'I need company and this dog needs help.' It was perfect.

“Scooby was completely closed down when I found him. I don’t think he’s ever going to be normal, but he doesn’t have to be.

“He was just emotionally broken. He just needed to be fixed a little.”

Scooby was recovered during a dog fighting raid in Tracy, California, where a couple was arrested for being in possession of five fighting dogs.