Dog Was Heartbroken After Owner Passes Away, But Someone Was There For Him

0
3659

Heartbreak is perhaps, one of the most painful, unforgettable and excruciating emotions a canine could ever experience. 10-year-old Rio had found himself left all alone after his owner had suddenly passed away without his knowledge. He was placed in a chaotic shelter as no one stepped in to claim him back home. His whole world had been flipped upside down, sending him in a  downward spiral of depression. Ever since Rio was brought to the Detroit Animal Care and Control shelter, the old dog had refused to eat anything given to him and refused all human physical contact. He did nothing else but to face a wall at a corner of the room with sad eyes.

Detroit Animal Care

Rio could not understand what he was doing there in the first place – he was too confused and heartbroken to even get to know people. Rio was clearly depressed, it was as if he was mourning the loss of his former owner. Staff sought out help from Detroit Dog Rescue (DDR) as they could not bear to watch Rio in a depressed state any longer.

Detroit Animal Care

The organization has been known for take up the tougher medical and mental health shelter-related cases such as kennel neurosis. Kristina Millman-Rinaldi, executive director of Detroit Dog Rescue, remarked: “A lot of people don’t realize what intuitive and sensitive creatures dogs are. They sense, like humans, everything that’s happening around them.”

By the time Rio arrived at their headquarters, he had gotten worse as he never responded when they called his name. Kristina could only use one way to help the poor dog – to place him in a caring foster home where he would be loved once again.

Kristina contacted a volunteer named Ryan Callahan, who agreed to take Rio in with the help of his wife Tasha. “It was just the right dog, right place, right time. He needed us, and we were able to provide the one-on-one time he needed,” Ryan said.

Almost immediately after moving into the couple’s home, Rio got used to pets and no longer shook when in contact with human hands. Whenever Ryan worked from home, he and Rio would often spend some precious alone time, together. After a week, Rio changed drastically for the better – he loves to lie on Ryan’s feet and would often gaze up at him lovingly.

Detroit Animal Care

Ryan explains: “I don’t know if it’s becoming more familiar with my wife and I, or learning that he’s still loved – but over the last week, he’s gone from not leaving the corner of the room and howling non-stop, to sleeping through the day. Every time we walk by him, he wags his tail and he loves going for walks in the woods with us.”

Rio would have to be very carefully placed due to his fragile emotional state and past hardship. Ryan also expresses: “My hope is that he doesn’t have to go another day wondering where he is or what is happening around him. That his new life, whatever that ends up being, is even better than his last one.”

Share this story!

 

Comments

comments