12 Days of Happy Tails: Meet Gus!
Photo by @adoptabledogsofnyc
Day 4 of our 12 Days of Happy Tails features the story of Gus and how he helped heal foster mama Remi’s broken heart.
Gus came to us as a puppy from Kentucky in May 2020. Gus and his sibling were placed in foster care with Remi, who recently went through a horrible tragedy. Her former dog Tucker was struck by a truck right in front of her eyes.
Remi’s grieving process was painful. She had no intention of adopting right away. But fate had other plans.
Gus and his sister reminded Remi so much of a big, fluffy puppy named Olivia, who she fostered in 2019 and who Tucker had loved.
When Remi picked up two giant pups from the transport van, she couldn’t believe how much they looked like Olivia! As she drove home, one of them kept his eyes locked on her the whole way. It was so reminiscent of how Tucker would look at her but in a small fluffy Olivia body.
Once home, Gus went into his pen and sprawled out on his back, legs out, perfectly at home. In those first several days, Remi’s heart flooded with love for him.
After losing Tucker, she hadn’t thought she would want to adopt so soon, but now it seemed impossible not to consider. She went back and forth several times and was torn–but when the time came to give him up, she couldn’t do it.
On June 9, 2020, Gus and Remi officially became a family. Gus was Remi’s instant companion. With the sweetness of Olivia and the intensity of Tucker, Remi says she feels like Gus has a little piece of both of those souls in him.
Much to Remi’s surprise, that inkling turned out to be closer to reality than she thought! Unbelievably, through a DNA test, she learned that Gus and Olivia are full siblings from different litters! Gus’s sister had known and loved Tucker. With that knowledge, Remi realized that Gus came to her to help her heal.
Remi says, “I didn’t think it was possible to love him more, but my love for him continues to grow each day!”
Gus loves to play, and despite being 70 lbs at eight months, he still thinks he’s a lap dog. Come January, Gus will accompany Remi to her job as a Social Worker at a therapeutic school, continuing his job as a healer, bringing happiness and comfort to all who need it.
