I think that even if a Holly has only been abused once or twice...especially to those levels (firstly by the way the mom treated her and secondly by being punched in the face) she may very well react the way she did(or still does) despite being sweet before. As the others suggested, you should definitely bring the abuse up with the husband because we all know that that is cruel for someone to hit a dog. So sorry for all the stress you have to deal with. Hope this situation turns for the better!