I hope the story below will warm your heart. A dog named Brindle has been in a sᴀᴅ and ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssᴇᴅ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ, for the past nine months.
The reason is that it’s been that long since he has seen his human friend, JD Aument, who is currently serving in the Army Reserves as a firefighter.
Rachel Marie Aument, JD’s wife said:” He’s so sᴀᴅ without JD Aument here. He loves me, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not his person. He has days where he just sits at the front window, crying.” You see, before JD adơрted Brindle a few years ago, he was just another sᴀᴅ sʜᴇʟᴛᴇʀ dog looking for a friend. And JD, he found one. From that point on, Brindle and his dad were inseparable — that is, until JD’s deployment last year.
Not having JD close by has been difficult for the family’s other dog, Xander, too. He’s more bonded with Mom, however, so it’s been a bit easier for him to ᴄᴏᴘᴇ. Brindle, meanwhile, has remained in a constant state of ʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴀᴄʜᴇ. The poor pup has clearly been looking for any sign of his dad. Brindle has clearly been on the lookout for some indication of JD. Every day, he waited for him to return home, but he never did, and he was deeply sᴀᴅᴅᴇɴᴇᴅ with each passing day. JD longed for his best friend back home, and he knew his dog felt the same way. JD sent Brindle a package in the mail containing something he knows will make Brindle very happy – his unwashed shirt bearing his fragrance. This is to help him ᴄᴏᴘᴇ with the sorrow of missing him before he returns home.
Rachel decided to document the moment Brindle got his father’s gift, and he absolutely loved it! Rachel said:” He immediately knew that it was JD’s shirt. There was no doubt about it. I was crying so hard while recording his reaction”. The dog was sniffing the shirt and rubbing his body against it, with his tail wagging. After months of waiting, Brindle was overjoyed to finally feel his best friend’s presence. Rachel said: “He carried the shirt up to bed with him after the video and slept with it the rest of the day.” Even though JD was not physically there, he was there in spirit, and Brindle couldn’t be happier. Brindle didn’t mind bringing JD’s shirt around with him, but Rachel had a better idea for making him feel closer to JD.
Rachel said:” I think he felt a little ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴇᴅ when JD left and the shirt helped reassure him that Dad still loves him and is coming back.” The good news is that Brindle won’t have to depend on the shirt for long, as JD is expected to return in around a month. He’ll get to cuddle his favorite person for real soon enough. The reunion will definitely be a ʙʟᴀsᴛ!
As it turns out, Brindle isn’t the only one moved by JD’s wonderful gift. Rachel confessed:” I miss JD so much and it was the first time any of us had smelled him in almost 10 months .I had to take a minute with the shirt for myself before I could sharе with Brindle.”
