The new owner of a dog rescued from one of the worst animal hoarding cases in British history has lifted the lid on his slow journey from frightened pup to pampered pet.Earlier this year, the RSPCA was forced to deny that an image showing 250 faeces-covered dogs was AI, confirming that in fact it was the sight that greeted horrified rescuers after an 'overwhelmed owner' surrendered the legion of poodle-crosses into their care.Samantha Chapman, from Coalville, Leicestershire, was inspired to adopt one of the pooches after seeing a photograph of one of the beleaguered beasts on her local Dogs Trust website.'He looked so poorly, you could see it in his face,' Ms Chapman said. 'We went straight to the rescue centre to meet him. He was so frightened.'Dogs Trust had worked with him for a couple of months before we adopted him.'Many of the other dogs had already found homes, and I think he was one of the harder ones to place.'Estimated to be around four years old, the beige mutt, now named Ozzy, had never had any meaningful human interaction nor had he experienced life outside of the four walls of the squalid property where he was born and spent his life ankle deep in excrement. This photo shows some of the 250 dogs who were rescued from the undisclosed property Ozzy has slowly had to learn how to function in a world bigger than a faeces-sodden houseLike the other dogs who were taken from the undisclosed property, he was suffering with painful skin conditions and a severely matted coat, meaning his fur needed to be shorn right down to the root while under sedation.Ms Chapman said: 'He had four years of trauma, with almost no human interaction, he had never been stroked or fussed, and he had to fight his way to get food and water, every day.'He was not one of the stronger dogs and was very emaciated. He had clearly lived in those conditions for a long time. He is not confrontational, so he may have struggled to compete with the other dogs for food.'But getting Ozzy home wasn't a simple process - first they had to earn his trust.The family returned to the rescue centre three times a week for approximately five weeks so that the terrified dog could slowly become accustomed to their presence.During the first meetings, they sat quietly in a small enclosed yard and simply watched him.At first, Ozzy refused to approach and stayed close to the Dogs Trust staff.'For the first few visits, there was no real interaction,' Ms Chapman said. 'He would run away, hide and cower. Watching an animal cower like that was awful.' The family met Ozzy several times a week for over five weeks to build up trust After three or four visits, however, he began to edge closer.He would sniff the family or take a treat gently from their hands before immediately retreating again.'We took our other dog, Diesel, a Jack Russell, to meet him, too,' said Ms Chapman.'They got on well. Diesel is very nonchalant about everything and will play with him when he wants to.'Those tiny steps eventually became enough for Ozzy to move into his new home, where the work of introducing him to ordinary domestic life began - with a bit of help from Diesel.The experts at Dogs Trust felt that living with another dog would provide him with reassurance and consistency - and they were right.Ozzy has been able to watch the older dog and copy his behaviour, helping him learn that the unfamiliar sights and sounds around him do not always represent a threat.It took him several weeks to build up the courage to go upstairs - he was bewildered by them as he had never encountered them before - and he needed to be especially lifted up and placed on the sofa or bed for gentle strokes from his new family. Ozzy needed to be shorn as his fur was sodden with urine and faeces Coming from a multi-dog household where there was such competition to access food and water, Ms Chapman was relieved to discover that he isn't aggressive at mealtimes - as can happen with some animals who have been starved.However, he is easily frightened. 'If somebody unfamiliar comes into the house, he will hide. It is still overwhelming for him,' she said.'He is very much a ladies' dog. That may be because the only person he knew before was a woman.'He is not frightened of men, but it takes him longer to approach them. He is much quicker to go to women for affection.'Little is known about Ozzy's origins, with the RSPCA deciding not to prosecute the breeder or reveal the location of the property they were surrendered from.At the time the photo went viral, it was reported that they had been in the care of an 'extremely vulnerable, elderly owner' and their living conditions had 'rapidly spiralled out of control', the RSPCA said.Addressing the rumours circulating online that the picture was AI-generated, RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst made clear that the picture was unfortunately very real.She said: 'The public's disbelief is understandable, but this photo is real. Over-breeding and overwhelmed owners can create staggering situations, and our officers are seeing more cases involving 10, 20, even 100 animals.'Ms Chapman also knows little about Ozzy's earlier life.'As I understand it, the owner had been breeding dogs. We do not really know the relationships between them - one dog described as a sister could also have been a mother because there was a lot of inbreeding,' said Ms Chapman.'I think it involved one woman and the situation got completely out of control. She did not reach out for help. With that many dogs, the problems must have escalated very quickly.' The bewildered dog had no idea what stairs were, or items of furniture He is most at ease with the family's teenage daughterIt is now up to Ms Chapman - with the guidance of experts from Dogs Trust - to patiently help him navigate his early trauma and adapt to being a pet.'Training will be a very slow process. He needs time to look at and understand each new thing, then calm down before we move on,' she said, adding it will be months until they are able to take him for a walk.'Even a new piece of furniture can frighten him. We have to introduce things in small steps and not make a fuss.'We are beginning to introduce a harness. He already wears a collar because Dogs Trust put one on him. For now, we show him the harness and then take it away, so he can become familiar with it without pressure.'He cannot go for a walk yet. He needs to feel completely secure first.'We also have a horse, and eventually we hope Ozzy will be able to come out with us and run around.'There is one other pet that Ozzy has met since leaving the hell-house - the family cat.'He was very surprised when he first met him, but the cat was not bothered by him,' said Ms Chapman.'Ozzy sometimes tries to chase him down the garden because he wants to play!' Ozzy needed to be taught how to play as he had never had access to any toys Slowly, Ozzy is overcoming his traumatic early life and learning to trust againHowever, most of the playtime comes courtesy of the Chapmans' teenage daughter, who has developed a special bond with the mutt.'At first he was terrified of everything. He did not understand toys and was frightened by them,' said Ms Chapman.'Now he has become very attached to my 15-year-old daughter. He absolutely adores her and she can do almost anything with him.'They play ball together and it is amazing. He loves toys now, especially balls. It took a couple of weeks, but now you cannot give him enough toys.'It is difficult to describe his full personality because it is still emerging.'But we can already see that he is cheeky and very funny. We learn something new about him every day.'And as for that horrifying picture that shocked the world? The family think Ozzy is front and centre of it.On his first night in the house, they left him to sleep downstairs only to be woken up by him howling - and looking a lot like one of the pitiful pooches begging to be saved.