A giant rescue dog was facing a bleak future after he was taken to a shelter and immediately placed on a list to be put down - all because he looked scary.
Loki and his owner had been evicted from their apartment in New York and the eight-year-old Napoleon mastiff was later picked up by animal control.
They shot the 170 pound pooch with a tranquilliser dart because of fears over his size and he was quickly put on a list of animals to be put down at the Manhattan Animal Care Centre (ACC).
No one had taken the time to get know Loki, or realised that despite his huge size, he was actually one of the friendliest dogs they could ever meet.
Not scary: Loki is actually a gentle giant (Rescue Dogs Rock NYC)
But Loki was still lacking in human contact and was left to languish on his own - when all he really wanted was someone to notice him.
Thankfully Loki’s owner found out about his dog’s impending fate and contacted the shelter to tell them that he wasn’t scary at all, despite his looks.
Rescue Dogs Rock NYC found out about Loki and stepped in to save the day - but even they weren’t sure about the dog at first.
Rescued: It didn’t take long for Loki to be adopted (Rescue Dogs Rock NYC)
Staff member Stacey Silverstein told The Dodo: “At first, upon meeting him, he is quite intimidating due to his size, and you can see he’s emaciated and should be at least an additional 50 pounds.
"Honestly I was a little intimidated myself but quickly he won me over.”
Loki quickly won everyone round with his gentle manner and it didn’t take long for a family to adopt him.
Stacey added: "He’s just a huge baby who loves hugs, belly rubs and to be petted.”
Top pic: Rescue Dogs Rock NYC