Golden retriever lives in a stable for nine years: what happens next moves so many

Fort Wayne (USA) - It almost seemed as if Golden Retriever Bruce would have to accept that his time on earth would always be lonely and sad. He was kept in a stable as a breeding dog for nine years. But then fate finally smiled on him - Bruce is now happier than ever!

On his own TikTok page, the owners of nine-year-old Goldie talk about how they took in the ageing dog a few weeks ago.

"He was living in a stable without being properly cared for", they say in a video. He was dirty and scared and didn't know what it was like to be a "normal dog".

But Aubrey Turner and her wife wanted to change that! They themselves lost their four-pawed friend in July. "She was only three years old and her loss really hurt us. At first, the thought of having another dog in the house was unbearable, but after much mourning, we realized how much we missed it," she told People magazine.

On the website of the dog shelter Humane Fort Wayne from the town of the same name, they finally discovered the golden retriever Bruce and were immediately hooked.

"Older dogs have a much lower chance of being adopted," explained Tuner. Bruce was also sick. "I knew he wouldn't have as much chance of being adopted as other dogs. I thought about him all night and still couldn't stop thinking about him the next day at work."

The very next day, during her lunch break, Tuner made her way to the shelter to pay Bruce a visit. "When I first saw him, he seemed very down. He hung his head when he entered the meeting room, had his tail tucked between his legs and refused to accept treats [...]."

Nevertheless, Bruce knew how to convince his future mistress, and after a while he carefully gave her some slobbery kisses and put on his best doggy look. "It really felt like love at first sight. His spirit was exhausted and battered, but never broken. You could tell deep down he was still a happy, cheerful dog," Turner recalled.

That same day, Bruce was allowed to go to his new home - and his life took a 180-degree turn! Even though the golden retriever still shows signs of his difficult past, he is making progress every day.

"His tail, which used to be stuck between his legs all the time, now wags wildly if you just mention his name," said his new owner happily. "From the moment I first met him to now, almost two months later, he really is a whole new dog."