Rescued: Cheyanne is rescued from Eaglehawk
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BENDIGO vet Kellie Anset never thought she would see the day.
When Cheyanne the Staffordshire-Ridgeback cross was brought to Passionate Vetcare in Ironbark, she was one of the most malnourished dogs the RSPCA had seen.
She weighed just over 11 kilograms and was petrified of all men after she was found as a stray in Eaglehawk in 2012.
Three years later and Cheyanne, now known as Aurora, is fully grown, fun-loving and friendly.
Jess Collins, of Frankston, adopted Aurora 10 months after she arrived at the RSPCA shelter.
She said there was no way she would let the two-year-old continue to suffer.
"The first time I worked with her, she was curled up in a ball in the corner of the pen," Ms Collins said.
"I said I don't accept that behaviour, I'm going to change her. At first I thought it would just be for adoption, but every time she heard my voice she would get so excited.
"I just fell in love with her."
Aurora now loves nothing more than going for a walk and playing with other dogs in the local dog park.
But Ms Collins said that wasn't always the case.
"I would try and walk her four times a day at first, but every time she would see a man - especially one in fluoro - she would panic," she said.
"But I think she realised her love of walks was greater than her fear of men.
"Now people would hardly know how timid she used to be."
Not only does Aurora have a loving family, she also has a special companion of her own.
The Collins family adopted Beemo - a Staffordshire-Basenji cross - to make sure Aurora always had someone to play with.
"She just wants to play all day," Ms Collins said.
The family made the trip to Bendigo on Saturday to visit the place where it all began - Passionate Vetcare in Ironbark.
Dr Kellie Anset watched on proudly as Aurora ran with her new family in the open space behind the clinic.
Dr Anset said it was nothing short of a miracle to witness Aurora's change.
"I didn't think she was going to pull through," she said.
"If it wasn't for Jess, she wouldn't be around today."
The Bendigo community got behind the cause for the last few years, donating toys and food to help Aurora make a full recovery.
Her beaming smile - permanently set beneath her bright brown eyes - is testament to the support of the city.
"We got so many donations of toys and food," Ms Collins said.