Despite all warnings, a mother of two decided to adopt a 38-pound dog from a shelter. When the mastiff got to know the family's two children, something unexpected happened.

Bennie, an English mastiff, had not had an easy past.

The four-legged friend had already been handed over to an animal shelter as a puppy, where various families adopted him – but they always returned him to the facility.

At just five months old, the furry friend had already had his heart broken several times and was left completely confused.

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According to the shelter bio, the pooch "had a fear" of children and was prone to being rowdy.

Then, Michelle Miller became aware of his fate and decided to finally offer the puppy, who already weighed almost 85 pounds, a home for the rest of his life.

But there was a problem: the animal shelter warned Michelle urgently not to bring the mastiff into a household with children.

The four-legged friend was considered unpredictable, fearful, and at the same time very powerful.

"He had been returned several times by the time we got him, so he has some trust issues and seemed to fear men in the beginning," the 31-year-old recalled to Newsweek.

In spite of the warnings, Michelle adopted the big dog and confronted him with her two daughters, who were seven and two years old at the time.

Bennie, as they christened the mastiff, surprisingly showed neither fear nor aggression towards the little ones.

On the contrary, the dog immediately became their best friend and protector.

"Anywhere the girls are, Bennie is close by. When we are outside in the yard, he will not settle down," says their mother.

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"He’s in constant guard mode with them, but he’s also incredibly gentle and playful with them, too."

Instead of the ill-mannered, child-hostile pup he was promised to be, Bennie turned out to be a big teddy bear.

The mastiff is now five years old and has made incredible progress, completely shedding his fear of men and children and gaining self-confidence.

The fact that his owner listened to his inner voice and took him out of the shelter despite all the contraindications was to change everything for Bennie.

"Large dogs are overlooked because of their size in shelters. But Bennie was the best fit for our family and has been the best part of our girls' childhood," says the dog owner, who lives on TikTok and documents everyday life with the gentle giant.