When Laura and her husband decided to adopt a new dog, she thought it would fill the hole in their family left by the death of her previous German Shepherd.
She never imagined that she instead would be pushing herself out of that family.
After the German Shepherd and her husband bonded, Laura ended up finding herself as the third wheel.
“I just wish Rusty would love me a fraction as much as he loves my husband,” she told GeoBeats Animals.
Still, Laura says that finding Rusty was a blessing.
She admits that she and her husband needed him just as much as he needed them. After losing their dog, a friend who volunteers at the local shelter sent them Rusty’s picture.
Rusty had the same floppy ears that stuck out to the side as their last dog did. The couple immediately fell in love with the dog.
Rusty was being held at Miami-Dade Animal Services.
When the couple arrived at the shelter, they found lots of warnings on the dog’s cage that he was “aggressive” and “not good with other dogs.”
But Laura didn’t care about that. It actually made them want him even more.
She knew all Rusty needed was for people to treat him with kindness, respect, and love.
Warnings like that would probably turn a lot of people off. But not Laura and her husband.
While Laura admits that she did have to work through some “challenges” with Rusty.
But eventually, he warmed up to the new humans whose custody he was in.
“He just kind of clicked and bonded with my husband,” Laura said. “They would lay on the couch together and fall asleep in each others’ arms, literally.”
According to Peteducate, Germans Shepherds like to cuddle.
They have a loyal and protective nature.
Showing affection and being close helps them ensure their owners are safe.
It wasn’t long before Laura found herself the odd man out. Rusty and her husband go to bed together at 10 p.m.
Laura will usually stay up a bit later.
When she finally does go to bed, she barely has any room. Rusty likes to take up as much space as he can. Laura says that it’s just “unfair.”
“He doesn’t know his own size. They cuddle all the time, even when they’re sleeping. And it’s so unfair because when I crawl into bed, I’ve got my tiny spot,” Laura said.
Despite what the shelter said about Rusty, he gets along just fine with the couple’s other dog Slayde. And even their two cats.
Rusty’s story on GeoBeats was viewed more than 4.2 million times on YouTube. His mom also keeps all his fans updated on his antics on his Instagram page.
“Such a great supportive woman! she brought her husband a boyfriend and she seems to love the bond between them. Rusty is loved but I hope this kind-hearted woman knows how much strangers on the internet appreciate her kind heart,” said one commenter.
You can learn more about Rusty’s story by checking out the video below.
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