Meet Tonka. He is ginormous. Even as a puppy, you could tell he was going to grow into a mammoth-sized dog. At a young age, he became our first official BDS Pup.
Tonka pays visits often to our Oklahoma City program for former victims of human sex trafficking. His sweet, silly disposition make him an instant hit with the women staying in the BDS Dream Home. Many have enjoyed playing with him and giving him treats.
Tonka as a puppy
On one particular occasion, Tonka’s visit made an important impact.
A young woman had recently joined our program. During her first few days at the Dream Home, she had taken to staying in her room by herself most of the time, hardly ever venturing out. Her reaction was understandable. Transitioning out the darkness and hopelessness of human sex trafficking is difficult and every woman who joins our program processes it in her own, individual way.
On this day, Tonka arrived at the Dream Home and started nosing around (the place the way a puppy does). Unbeknownst to everyone else in the house, Tonka had quietly nosed his way into this young lady’s room. Giggles erupted from the room as Tonka made his new friend.
Shortly thereafter, this young lady emerged from her room with Tonka in tow. She joined the rest of the group at the dinner table for the first time. From that point on, she began – as she was ready – to come out of her shell.
BDS Pups are more than just cute faces we post on Instagram and Facebook. We’ve seen the impact our furry friends can make in bringing a sense of peace and joy to the young ladies in our program!