Giant Shelter Dog Was Almost Put Down Because He's Scary Looking

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Giant Shelter Dog Was Almost Put Down Because He's Scary Looking

It's important to remember that things are not always as they seem. Loki, an 8-year-old dog, Neapolitan mastiff, was picked up by animal control after his owner was evicted from his apartment and taken to the Manhattan Animal Care Center (ACC) earlier this month.

Loki is an extremely large dog, weighing in at 170 pounds, and on first glance can look kind of scary.

Loki was unfortunately shot with a dart and sedated by the animal control officers, as they were afraid of his size. Then he was wheeled in on a stretcher.

Two days after arriving at the ACC, Loki was put on the list to be put down "” before anyone had taken the time to interact with him at all.

Luckily for Loki, his former owner heard about what was happening and came in to vouch for him. He told the shelter what an incredible dog Loki is: how he loves adults, kids, dogs, cats and everyone in between.

His size is deceiving, because really, Loki is just a gigantic love bug. Clearly, if his owner hadn't been evicted, he never would have given Loki up.

Unfortunately, though, Loki was suffering at the shelter. He had no human contact, wasn't being taken on walks and needed medical attention. The gigantic dog that no one would go near desperately needed someone to notice him.

Finally, someone did. Rescue Dogs Rock NYC heard about Loki and knew that he needed help fast. They decided to take a leap of faith and rescued him from the ACC.

Despite his glowing recommendations from his former owner, they were still a bit apprehensive.

"At first, upon meeting him, he is quite intimidating due to his size, and you can see he's emaciated and should be at least an additional 50 pounds," Stacey Silverstein, of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, told The Dodo. "Honestly I was a little intimidated myself but quickly he won me over."

And she wasn't the only one. Everyone who came into contact with Loki quickly fell in love, and, soon enough, everyone was fighting for his attention.

Once people took the time to look past his appearance, Loki was able to show them that he's the sweetest, most gentle dog in the entire universe, size be damned.

Loki is the perfect example of how you should never judge a book by its cover.

"He's just a huge baby who loves hugs, belly rubs and to be petted," Silverstein said.

After being treated for ear infections, skin infections and heartworms, something amazing began to happen. Adoption requests began pouring in. The dog whom everyone had been afraid of was finally able to show them how lovable he really is.

On Monday, Loki's new family finally arrived to pick him up. It was love at first sight, and that's exactly what Loki deserves.

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