At the time of adoption, the 24-year-old Tauranga woman had no idea the extent of abuse that Cooper had been through, just that he had come from a "really bad background".
She said it was because court proceedings were happening at the time of adoption.
Cooper was "extremely timid and protective" and would bark and shake when new people came around, she said.
She said he was "petrified of brooms, vacuum cleaners and could not even face stairs".
Although these things seemed strange at the time, Belcaster said she had hated to think about what happened to make him so terrified.
It wasn't until six months later, when the animal abuse case popped up in the media that she realised it was her beloved pup who had been the victim.
She and her family were "absolutely horrified" to find out and whenever she thought about it she "hugged him that little bit tighter".
She said Cooper was so loved and such a big part of their family that it was "so horrific to think someone could do that to him".
