Every time UPS carrier Katie Newhouser drove her enormous brown truck into his condo complex, Leo the bulldog went berserk.
“Whenever I’d turn up at the complex, he’d apparently go crazy, and he’d want to come down and see me,”Newhouser remembered. "He just took an interest in me for some reason." He'd always approach me and lick my face.
Leo would also hop inside her truck. "He would sit there and sniff around," Newhouser explained. "When I had to leave, he refused.
When Katie and Leo went on a walk one day, she finally met his owner Tina.
"I saw Tina walking Leo and stopped to pet him," Newhouser explained. "That's how I got started talking to Tina." That's how I've started communicating with the majority of my customers. If they have a dog, I'm going to stop.
This practise lasted more than a year: when Newhouser arrived, Leo ran out to kiss her.
But everything changed for Leo in October of last year.
“I was on vacation, and when I came back to work, I went to the complex,”Newhouser added. "As I was pulling in, I saw [Tina's] son Cannon pulling out with furniture in the back, and I thought, 'Oh, that's strange.'" "I just waved at him, and he waved back."
Katie called Tina's cell phone number several times, but each call went to voicemail. Katie finally studied Tina's Facebook profile and discovered the terrible truth... Tina had passed away.
Tina's son, Cannon, called Katie and offered to look for Leo while he was away in the Marine Corps.
“I said [to Cannon], ‘I’ll take Leo until you can come back and get him from your training,’”Newhouser remembered. "'All right,' he responded. I picked him up the following Saturday.
“He ran up to me, and started barking at me, just like he does when I’m in my UPS truck,”Newhouser added. "He then jumped right into my truck." I guess he just thought he was going for a ride because he likes to drive. But he was clearly bewildered.
In the weeks following Tina's death, Leo had a terrible time. Katie was frequently awakened in the middle of the night by Leo's crying and sobbing because he missed his owner.
Fortunately, Leo has two new siblings to spend time with, as well as Katie's undying affection. Leo began to feel at peace in his new home after a few weeks.
Katie spoke up for Leo when no one else would. She took in the dog, cared for him, and convinced him that he would be staying with her forever.
Our sympathies are with Leo, but we're glad he found Katie.
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