Timid Pup Comes Up With A Super Cute Way To Ask His Foster Parents For More Scratchies And Love

Francesca Negreanu has always had a huge love for animals, and has had pets for most of her life.

"I definitely consider myself a dog person," she told Bored Panda. "Dogs have the most incredible souls and personalities, and they are all so unique and wonderful. Our hobbies of hiking and exploring definitely match up, so having a dog in my life only adds to my day to day joy."

Although Francesca has had dogs before, she has never fostered one. It has always been something she was very interested in, however, the 26-year-old wanted to wait until she felt prepared, in a financial sense and a career sense. When those items lined up, Francesca knew it was time to research foster programs, and she found Street Savvy Dog Rescue in her hometown, Portland, OR.

Pretty soon, she was introduced to Homer and the doggo came to live with her and her boyfriend.

Homer's a fearful pup. Sometimes he won't even look a person in the eye. But if he knows they mean no harm, Homer asks for scratchies. In his own, special way.

Francesca and her boyfriend adored Homer's "language" so much, they recorded it and uploaded the clip to reddit. The clip blew up instantly and as of this article, has over 80K upvotes.

"Homer has not been with us very long, about a week total," Francesca said. "This has been a huge learning curve, as Homer did not come from the best background. He is still a little timid and shy, and certain actions and noises frighten him, but his personality is really blooming as each day goes by."

The couple are happy to see the pup starting to become more comfortable in their apartment, exploring different rooms even when they're not there. Moreover, he is eating more, adventuring outside more, and the three simply clicked. "As a former behavioral therapist, I have been able to take a lot of my training and apply it with Homer, really putting an emphasis on positive reinforcement and constant attention to actions he does that may improve confidence," Francesca explained. "It has been a great week so far!"

Homer will remain with the couple until he gets adopted. "He is such a sweet sweet boy, and we know that there is someone out there that will be his forever family. Part of fostering is constantly connecting with the community and finding the perfect fit for him."

The amazing support Francesca and her boyfriend got from the reddit community after sharing the video was completely unexpected and very much appreciated. Everyone -- including their friends -- is spreading the word about Homer, and his foster parents hope that as time goes on, they will find him a wonderful home where he can continue to grow.

For the time being, Francesca and her boyfriend wanted to use the opportunity and say a few nice words about the wonderful job Street Savvy Dog Rescue have been doing. "We would love to get the word out there about this incredible organization, whether people just want to learn more, possibly foster a pup of their own, or are interested in adopting!"