My wife and I decided a long time ago that whatever animals we’d adopt, they would come from a “rescue” mission. Our dog is another such character - he had been badly treated when we took him in and it took a long time before he truly trusted us (always expecting to be hit). He still gets a lot of hugs every day. ;-)
“... always expecting to be hit...”
We rescued a German Shorthaired Pointer that had been abused. She had similar reactions. Poor thing would freak if she saw a man’s shoe. She also would bolt if someone had a cigarette or lit a match. We could only imagine what she had gone through in the six months prior to us adopting her. Sad!