Cosmo the St Bernard had been brought into Hearts United for Animals shelter in Nebraska by a breeder. Nobody knew the reason why he had been surrendered- he was a gorgeous dog, and a gentle giant who loved to be around people.
It wasn’t long before his online ad was spotted by an animal-loving couple, and The Dodo shared an emotional video of the whole adoption process for us all to see. The video now has over 10 million views, and it’s safe to say that we all fell in love with Cosmo from the very beginning.
Despite living hundreds of miles away from the shelter, when Jayne and her husband Geoff first spotted the gentle giant on Hearts United’s website, their hearts immediately melted.
According to Jayne, Cosmo was looking at the camera with eyes that said, “Please take me home,” and from that moment onwards, they knew that Cosmo belonged to them.
“When I decided that I was going to fly to Nebraska, rent a car and drive home with a 130 pound dog, I was pretty sure that most of the world would think I was crazy.” Jayne joked. But was that going to stop her from making her trip? Absolutely not.
Jayne arrived to meet Cosmo with a toy crocodile that she had brought especially him, and as she walked towards the pen where Cosmo was waiting, she nervously anticipated the big meeting. She was about to meet her new pet for the very first time!
But as soon as the pair laid eyes on each other, it was clear that Jayne’s nerves instantly melted away. Cosmo was cuddly and affectionate, and it’ was as if he already knew that Jayne was the kind woman who was going to take him to his furever home.
As Cosmo and Jayne played, shelter owner Kirsty couldn’t help shedding a tear as she watched over Cosmo for the last time. It was clear that this was a dog who had stolen many people’s hearts, and now he was travelling to a loving home that he deserved.
But first, Cosmo was going to need a little encouragement. The sweet dog was pretty fearful about getting into the car, and it took a total of three people to finally get him comfortable and relaxed on his comfy car bed. But once he was in there, he wanted to stay there all day!
Jayne and Cosmo finally made it back to the family home in New York, and it was time to introduce their new arrival to her husband, their two children, two dogs, and even a giant rabbit or two.
Despite having limited experience interacting with humans and other animals, Cosmo proved what a gentle giant he was, and instantly got along with everyone. However, it soon became clear that he was going to need some time to adjust to life in a home.
“Cosmo has never lived in a home before as far as we know,” Jayne said. “We don’t think he’s ever climbed up stairs before, and he doesn’t seem to understand treats. (Also) He often wants to climb into spaces which aren’t St Bernard sized. He’s been here for less than 24 hours, and we just love seeing him have what he has now, knowing that he didn’t have any of it before.”
Over the next few weeks at her home, Jayne documented all of Cosmo’s new achievements as he settled into his new home. These included finally being comfortable to climb into the car by himself, discovering what was “people food” and what was dog food, swimming in the lake for the first time, and figuring out how to use stairs.
Cosmo had learned a lot in such a short time, but most importantly, he was finally happy.
“We want him to have fun and feel like life is an adventure, but also feel very safe and loved, as I don’t think he’s had any chance to feel these things in his life so far,” Jane said.
Watch Cosmo’s adorable adoption video below!
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