An adorable video of a Reddit user’s two dogs calming their nervous dog sister was shared a few months ago.
In the video, a white, deaf dog named Winnie and a little Shih Tzu named Huxley are shown attempting to care for their larger, English/French Mastiff mix dog named Rex.
Rex’s various abusive owners and extremely upsetting upbringing have left him with a severe case of anxiety-related behavior.
From violent owners to devoted paws
According to a study conducted by the University of Helsinki, in Finland, dogs are particularly prone to a wide range of anxiety-like traits [1], especially when those dogs are abused throughout their upbringing.
Looking at the survey data, they found out that 72.5% of the 13,715 pet dogs from Finland that participated in this research displayed anxiety-like behaviors. [2]
According to Rex’s dad, Rex was abused as a puppy by his previous owners. He is actually Rex’s fourth owner, and he got him when Rex was 1.5 years old.
His second owners would beat him and use a shock collar on him, so now he has a fear of screaming, loud noises, brooms, clapping, etc. They even wanted to euthanize him because of his “aggressive behavior.”
Unfortunately, due to the trauma he suffered with his second owners, Rex started exhibiting resource-guarding tendencies, fear, and aggression, which is why he didn’t blend into the third family, even though they wanted to help.
He then went to live with his present owner, who has been attempting to rehabilitate him for the past 2.5 years.
Since joining the family, he has significantly improved and gone a long way.
Rex can now hang out with his human siblings as well as his other dog siblings, despite the fact that he still displays apprehensive behaviors.
The owner told Newsweek that when a dog is anxious, it usually wants nothing to do with what it is afraid of and will want to flee the situation as soon as possible. “I was single after my divorce, and he was my first dog, so we kind of helped each other a lot.”
Rex is anxious so his siblings try and take care of him. (OC)
byu/Creepy-Bite-3174 inAnimalsBeingBros
Bound By Love
In the video, you can clearly see how the two other dogs simply adore Rex. Whenever they sense that he is feeling anxious, they run to him and try to shower him with kisses.
But, according to the owner, the story actually goes even deeper than that.
Huxley (a Shih Tzu) is a puppy that loves everyone and fears nothing, so he’s just happy to be there and part of this happy and loving family.
However, Winnie (the white dog) is actually deaf, so she kind of relies on Rex. They have become really close, and she follows him everywhere.
Even though Rex is very vocal and sometimes even growls when he is scared (not aggressive), since Winnie can’t hear him, she just accepts him the way he is and loves him.
Rex is so accustomed to her and her “disability” that he even helps her. She kind of relies on him to be her ear, and he even helps her understand what is going on.
Winnie and Huxley have actually played a huge role in Rex’s recovery and in bringing him out of his shell.
This unique trio and their outpouring of affection have won the hearts of many people online, generating almost 21K upvotes on Reddit.
“I can’t tell you how much this information sparks joy in me. Winnie, Rex, and Huxley are some of my current favorite people. Oh, and you’re pretty awesome, too, for giving these wonderful dogs a happy home,” commented one Reddit user.
I am so happy that after everything he went through, Rex was lucky enough to find such an amazing family with the best owner and the best doggie siblings.
“I’ve always said I’m really lucky to have such a cool dog,” the owner said.
Source :pupvine.com