Normally, most dogs can handle being on their own for a few hours without their owners; they just don’t like it.
Anytime their favorite human leaves them, it’s like alarms go off in their heads. Like, where are they going, what are they doing without me?
However, it’s nothing to be concerned about. It just shows how much our dogs love us. Now, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t pups who suffer from separation anxiety.
Some dogs, who were abused or neglected in the past, usually have this problem and it’s hard for many of them to be away from their owners because they think they are being abandoned.
This pup from Indiana went through the same thing before his owners figured out that this problem had a very simple solution.
He Doesn’t Like Being Alone
After being adopted by Aubrey Turner and Kori Halter, this sweet 9-year-old dog struggled in many ways, but one of his most obvious fears was being left alone.
Whenever his owners would go to work, he would spend his time pacing the living room and watching the front door until they returned.
His owners suspect that this was due to being neglected for his entire life prior to adoption. He was used as a breeder dog by his former owner.
So, when his owners leave, it triggers bad memories for him. Turner told The Dodo: “If we weren’t home, he felt like he couldn’t go anywhere, he couldn’t do anything. So, he kind of just stayed where we would put him. He would try to make himself as small as possible.”
Fortunately for Bruce, he was not alone in the house. The Indiana owners actually had a cat named Dante, who decided to comfort Bruce by snuggling up to him.
This seemed to soothe the anxious dog and this beautiful moment was actually caught on camera by the owners.
A Beautiful Friendship
Turner continued by saying: “It was so sweet for us to see. The couple had two cats at the time and have since adopted two more. We don’t really see that much of it when we’re home. When we’re home, the cats don’t interact with Bruce in the same way they do when we’re not paying attention.”
The two of them didn’t start out very friendly. Bruce was actually a bit scared of cats, but as time went on, their friendship blossomed into something truly wholesome.
Because he had Dante, Bruce has grown more accustomed to being in the house without his owners. He’s made an incredible change.
Turner noted that he was still a bit afraid of being outside, but in his home, he’s the goofiest and most cheerful dog there is.
She also encouraged other people to take in senior dogs. Turned said: “For so many people, the thought of adopting senior dogs is too much of a risk for heartbreak for the human, but this shouldn’t be about the human.”
That was well said. I agree with it and I hope Bruce’s story might encourage other people to give them a chance because every dog deserves a chance to live a good life and I am happy to see that Bruce got his.