“It was as if she was saying, ‘Are you here to help me?’”
The Analore family provided the first home Brownie had ever known when he spent two weeks in foster care with them.
“He was terrified at first,” Molly Analore told The Dodo. “He didn’t know what to do.”
Brownie had four failed adoptions at a shelter in New Mexico before he got another chance at a shelter in Colorado. But he needed a place to stay while he waited for transportation, so Analore and her family helped him out.
The first few days were hard as Brownie learned how to go to the bathroom outside. But when the puppy realized he was safe and surrounded by love, he started to change. Brownie learned how to talk to his new family about what he needed in just a few days.
“Eventually he would alert me if he had to go to the bathroom,” Analore said. “He would sit by the door and cry.”
Analore quickly learned how Brownie talked to him about everyday things, but one night, he did something very different. Instead of telling his new mom that he needed help, the smart dog tried to let her know that she did.
Before she took care of Brownie, Analore started passing out and feeling dizzy. One night when Analore was spending the night with Brownie, she started to feel sick, and the loyal dog noticed right away.
“He’s not big on cuddling a lot, but he just jumped right on my couch, sat next to me and started cuddling me,” Analore said. “I thought, ‘That’s a little strange,’ but then didn’t think anything else of it.”
Analore held Brownie for a while before deciding to go to bed because she was still sick. Even though Brownie usually kept his distance, he wouldn’t let Analore leave his sight.
“When I went to bed, he was outside my door screaming his head off, scratching at the door and headbutting the door,” Analore said. “That wasn’t normal for him. It was almost like he was trying to say, ‘Something’s wrong, let me in now.’”
Analore got out of bed quickly because she didn’t understand what he was doing and let her attentive foster dog into the bedroom.
“He jumped right on my bed, sat next to me with his head on my chest, then once my heart stopped racing and I felt better, he just got up and left,” Analore said.
Analore said that Brownie had never behaved like that before. And he stopped as soon as she was no longer dizzy.
“He just did it all on his own,” Analore said. “He’s such a good boy.”
Brownie stayed with the Analore family for two weeks. Then, as planned, he went to his last shelter. His new shelter is taking care of him right now, but the Analore family wants to bring him back home for good.
“A dog like that only comes around once in a lifetime,” Analore said. “The connection was so strong.”
