When things get scary we all wish we could just run and hide.
Run to a place where we can hide and feel nice and safe.
Sometimes that place is a friend.
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For a 7-year-old Pit Bull mix named Moose, it was both a place and a friend.
Moose’s favorite hiding place for when he gets scared is the shower.
He also turns to his friend, a cat named Marvin, when he’s feeling unsafe.
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Marvin and Moose met about six months ago after Mary Barnes rescued Marvin.
She hoped that the cat would make a nice playmate for Moose.
“I didn’t know how Moose and Marvin would get along because Moose had never really interacted with cats, but she’s the absolute sweetest and most gentle girl so I had faith,” Barnes told The Dodo.
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Barnes had a hunch that they would hit it off.
And that hunch was 100 percent correct.
“They very quickly became best friends,” Barnes said. “Marvin has the personality of a dog so they nap and play together all day.”
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When the lot eventually moved to downtown Detroit, Barnes noticed that Moose was sensitive to loud noises.
The Pit Bull would start to shake in fear and run and hide at the first sound of fireworks or thunder and lightning.
Moose has one very specific place she runs to when the noisy weather gets frightening. That place is the shower.
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“I try to give her treats and keep her busy when it’s storming but she usually ends up going into the bathroom and hiding in the shower,” Barnes said. “She’s always hidden in the shower — it’s her safe place.”
But Marvin doesn’t seem to be bothered by noise or wicked weather at all.
She does, however, end up in the bathroom like Moose.
That’s because she’s his thunder buddy.
If you remember, from the movie Ted, a thunder buddy is a friend who helps you be less scared when it’s thundering outside.
They remind each other that they can’t be scared of thunder because it’s just God’s farts.
I’m not sure Marvin and Moose get that specific, but Marvin definitely likes to console Moose when there’s a nasty spell of thunder.
“Last night was the first really big, long storm we’ve gotten in Detroit since Marvin has been with us,” Barnes said. “He was very curious and concerned about his big sister.”
Marvin made sure to keep checking Moose to make sure that she wasn’t getting too scared.
“He went back and forth to her in the shower to check-in,” Barnes said. “It distracted [Moose] from the storm for a little bit because she leaned down to give him kisses!”
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Moose is very thankful for the love and kindness his family shows him when he’s having a tough time.
“I’m VERY afraid of thunderstorms. Ever since I was a puppy I’ve felt the most safe hiding in the shower,” he explains on Instagram. “It’s nice to have a friend to come check in on me. I have my mom trained to feed me cheese during storms.”
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So, between the kisses and the cheese… Moose does pretty well these days during storms. It’s helping him to get a lot better at learning how to relax.
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