Meet the adorable pup, Tommy. The dog was adopted when he was just one year old by a loving family and was glad to finally found his forever home. Tommy’s family was originally looking for a female dog, but the staff of the shelter introduced the family to Tommy anyway and the feeling was very mutual: they all fell in love with this cute pup and decided to take him home.
Mom Jenna Termolen recalls their first encounter with Tommy at the shelter:
“When it came time for him to go back out, he laid down on the floor trying his best not to leave us; she had to literally drag/slide him on his belly out of the room,” Jenna said to The Dodo. “He had chosen his new family and was not willing to give us up. After meeting the other dogs, the boys all decided that he was the one.”
Tommy was adopted about a dozen years ago and lived very happily with the Termolen family. The family resided in Illinois for a long period until 2015 and moved to a new place in upstate New York afterward.
Unfortunately for Tommy, the relocation didn’t do him any favors because he missed a bunch of his dog friends that were still in Illinois – but a random encounter would soon lift his spirits.
The family had moved into their new place for about a week when Jenna’s little son had a scary encounter. Jenna’s son saw a large dog that suddenly was sitting in their house and texted his mom to let her know. He also noticed that the dog didn’t have a tail, but he mentioned to his mom that the dog wasn’t hostile at all and was actually getting along rather nicely with Tommy.
“I immediately called him to see if everything was OK,” Jenna recalls. “He relayed that Tommy and the dog were getting along just fine; the dog seemed friendly, and Tommy was taking him on a tour of the house.”
When Jenna got home, she tried to find the owners of the lost pup. The name on the collar read ‘Jackson’, and thanks to some nifty detective work, the address of the owners was quickly found. Jackson was actually almost a neighbor, as he lived just down the street.
When Jenna met Jackson’s family, she was overwhelmed with apologies about Jackson rushing into their home but could definitely see the humor in the situation. Jenna and her son then went back home and said goodbye to Jackson.
However, Jackson had no intention of leaving his new best friend Tommy behind.
Now the dog passes by the Termolen family’s house almost every single day to check on Tommy and play with him.
The canine’s navigational skills definitely have improved at this point as he was perfectly able to go back and forth without getting lost.
Jackson also quickly realized how he could see if Tommy was home. The dog would just come into the house if the garage door was open or would bark a couple of times at the front door so that someone knew Jackson was there to play. Very often, Jackson pops up in the Termolen home unexpectedly, but no one is surprised by his visits anymore and the pup is welcomed anytime.
“Usually when he comes for a visit, he stops by the front door first and gives one or two polite barks,” Jenna said. “If no one answers the front door, he will either try to go through the garage if it is open or go around through the backyard to the back deck, and will give barks at each door. I usually just let him in the house or let Tommy out.”
Jackson and Tommy still get along great, even though there’s a rather large age difference. Tommy is 16 years old, while Jackson is a lot more energetic at 5 years.
Although Tommy isn’t as active as before and can’t run lengthier distances, the two pup friends simply enjoy spending their time together in the house or in the neighborhood.
“Now it is more like a wellness check as Tommy is really starting to show his age,” she said. “Jackson comes in, has a drink, checks to see if Tommy has leftover food, they follow each other around the house and basically just hang out for a bit. They have a nice, sweet friendship. It will be heartbreaking when it is over. I am not sure I will able to maintain composure when Jackson visits and Tommy is no longer here to greet him.”
Tommy has faced some medical issues recently, but is now doing well and is happier than he’s ever been.
“He whines at the street hoping his buddy will make an appearance,” Jenna adds. “When he does come out, Jackson usually accompanies us home. Maybe, since Tommy can’t always make it all the way down to Jackson’s house now, Jackson comes by to check in on Tommy.”
A beautiful friendship!
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