Happy Tears As Abused & Severely Undersocialized Golden Retriever Forms Unbreakable Bond With Puppy
When Marissa Squires — founder of New England Puppy Rescue in Connecticut — made the decision to bring home a new puppy, one thing stood out in her list of concerns: how her existing dog, a Golden Retriever named Duke, would react to the new addition.
You see, unlike the many dogs out there who’ve had an easy start to life, Duke’s beginnings were anything but easy. For the better part of his early life, Duke was under the care of an unethical breeder who mistreated him and failed to provide him with the quality of life he deserved. He spent his days locked up in a crate, missing out on opportunities to socialize with other dogs. This prolonged confinement led to Duke developing a host of behavioral issues, including separation anxiety and a deep-seated fear of other dogs.
A Fresh Start
Marissa rescued Duke when he was about a year old, bringing his miserable existence to an end. Unfortunately, the lack of socialization growing up made it nearly impossible for him to connect with other dogs in his present life. When Marissa brought home the new puppy, Ruthie, she knew it would take a while before Duke warmed up to his new sibling. What Marissa didn’t expect, though, was that a rather deep friendship would eventually develop between the two dogs; a friendship that would grow stronger with each passing day.
@saveallthepuppies When you bring a new puppy home, it’s easy to dream of instant best friends and perfect bonds between your pets. But the truth? That’s not always how it starts. Sometimes, the introduction process is slower, more deliberate, and filled with moments of doubt. But just because it’s harder doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. With patience, supervision, and a commitment to meeting your current dog where they are, incredible transformations can happen. Often, the most beautiful bonds come from the ones that started uncertain. Of course ensuring your puppy isn’t injured, or you aren’t creating a negative association with other dogs, you have to give it a chance. Take Duke, for example. Rescued at about a year old after enduring a horrible start from a “breeder”, his early life was spent in a crate, leading to severe under-socialization, separation anxiety, and neurotic behavior. By the time he reached his new family in Boston, he was 6 months old and they were told they kept him to train him for them, he was shut down, unable to cope with the world around him. His first family gave up on him, after not being able to take him anywhere and being left in the home meant desctruction, and he was passed to a trainer. Fast forward to now, and Duke is nearly unrecognizable from the scared, panicked dog he once was. Being a Golden, he’s friendly, easygoing, and no longer ruled by his past. But there’s one place his history still appears—his unrelatability to other dogs and his strange lack of bonding to humans for anything other than forceful affection. Duke often seems content just to exist, calmly. That’s where Ruthie came in. Watching her gently coax him out of his shell, teaching him how to bond and play, has been nothing short of magical. She’s following in her big brother River’s footsteps, helping others heal with kindness, and it makes my heart swell with pride. I have big plans for you, little girl. #DogsOfInstagram #DogLovers #GoldenRetriever #InstaGolden #RescueDog #PuppyLove #DogTraining #AdoptDontShop #InstaDog #puppygram#NewPuppyOwner #PuppyTips #PuppyLove #DogTraining #NewPuppy #DogBehavior #Pitbull #PitbullPuppy #PitbullPuppyLife #RuffLifewithRuthie ♬ take a moment to breathe. – normal the kid
From Strangers to Inseparable
Initially, Duke had difficulty welcoming Ruthie into his space. But as time went by, Marissa — who was keen on gradual, supervised interactions — started to see a different side to Duke that she hadn’t witnessed before. Duke seemed more playful and relaxed in Ruthie’s presence, and Marissa would often catch the two pups sharing affectionate moments.
“Watching her [Ruthie] gently coax him out of his shell, teaching him how to bond and play, has been nothing short of magical,” wrote Marissa in a lengthy TikTok caption. Their friendship, captured so beautifully in a TikTok video, is like a fairytale. A once fearful, withdrawn Duke can now barely keep his paws off his new puppy sibling, and one may be mistaken to think that they’ve been the best of friends right from the start.
Even though Duke still struggles to interact with other dogs because of his unpleasant past experiences, his unexpected bond with Ruthie is a true testament to the open-hearted nature of dogs.
“Duke, despite his harsh past, found a way to connect deeply with Ruthie, proving that no dog is too broken to reciprocate love,” pet rescue advocate Rocky Kanaka says.
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