Stanley went from a frightened stray pup to a true ‘velcro dog’ who refuses to let go of his dad’s hand whenever they are together.

Some dogs require their own space, a few hours alone to eat, sniff, or sleep without interruption, but Stanley is not one of them.

Sam Clarence adopted Stanley from a bully breed rescue in Christchurch, New Zealand, a year and a half ago, and has since seen the terrified stray pup evolve into what could be dubbed a “Velcro dog.”

Stanley now refuses to let go of his father’s hand, which is inconvenient when they’re on one of their frequent road excursions. “We have to be touching at all times,” Clarence explained to The Dodo. “He’s very forceful about it.”

Clarence met Stanley while helping as a dog walker at a nearby shelter. Clarence was approached about taking after one of the canines for a few weeks after two 6-month-old puppies were discovered living on an abandoned property with their mother.

But the moment Clarence saw a photo of Stanley, he knew the dog would be a “foster fail.”

It wasn’t love at first sight for Stanley.

“He was terrified when we got home and it took him an hour to slowly come out of the car,” he claimed. “Once he got out, I gave him a big bath, some food and a comfy bed in front of the fire.”

Stanley bonded with his adoptive father as he adjusted to living inside and eating and drinking from a dish. “As a pup, he would sleep with me on the bed and we could never not be touching,” Clarence told me. “He would lay behind me and always have at least a paw touching my back; if I moved, he moved.”

Stanley has gotten older and wiser, but he has never lost his desire to be with his people.

“If I’m driving, we need to communicate or he’ll force it on me,” Clarence explained. “The same thing happens when we watch TV. I will be pelted with paws until I touch him. It’s just one of his quirks.He’ll do it to my housemate if I’m not there.”

Both dad and dog now enjoy going on outdoor trips in New Zealand, and Stanley goes right in when he spots a beach, river, or lake.

Clarence couldn’t conceive of a nicer travelling companion – even if it requires straining to keep his eyes on the road.

“He lives to please, so he just goes with the flow,” Clarence explained. “He’s an extremely joyful chappy who laughs every minute. “I’ve never met a dog with such a strong personality.”