Grief-stricken, a Chihuahua named Leonidas was found by his owner, Patricia Russell, sitting inside the washing machine. He found this a fitting place to grieve.
The dog, nicknamed Piddle, was seen on top of a pile of clothes, looking melancholic, on the first day he was alone after his canine sister was euthanized. Touched by the scene, Patricia photographed him and shared his story in a Facebook animal group on March 4th, receiving over six thousand reactions.
Patricia explained that the family had to leave the house that day, but they never leave Piddle alone for more than two hours. They also play some calming music and build a small house for him to hide away.
But that day when he got home and went to look for him, he wasn’t in his little house, it was then that he found him in the laundry room inside the washing machine, all curled up, how sad!
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In an interview with the news portal Newsweek , Patricia said that Gracy, a ten-year-old Labrador mix, had to be euthanized days before this episode, devastating not only Piddle, but the entire family.
Piddle’s arrival in the family happened due to the death of another dog, 15-year-old Stella.
Patricia’s husband was very attached to Stella, so the woman decided to adopt the Chihuahua to keep him company and help him cope with the loss.
“After we lost Stella, I saw how much my husband was suffering, and I wanted to find him another friend,” Patricia told Newsweek. “I took Piddle by surprise. Unfortunately, it backfired because he’s so attached to me.”
Besides the Chihuahua’s fondness for Patricia, he also loved Gracy. However, the love wasn’t reciprocated; Piddle had to be persistent to win the elderly dog’s heart.
“Gracy was an elderly lady and absolutely upset that we had to get another dog,” Russell said. “It took her a while to get used to him. She was like the grumpy older sister who loved him.”
It was then that on February 28th the family noticed that Gracy was not eating and took her to the veterinary clinic.
The doctor suspected an infection, but tests revealed that the pet had cancer that had spread throughout her body.
Before that, Gracy had not shown any symptoms, however, after going to the vet it was a matter of two days before she got worse and died.
“She was such a brave dog,” Russell said. “I decided to put her down the next day, but by evening [the pain] had gotten so bad I didn’t want her to suffer anymore.”
During those two days, Piddle never left Gracy’s side. He even barked at the vets when they got too close to his sister, protecting her from any “danger,” as he knew she was weak.
Seeing him in the washing machine made Patricia decide to adopt another dog, a 1-year-old yellow Labrador named Jesse.
In addition to being Piddle’s companion, he will also be Patricia’s husband’s therapy dog.
“He’s with his therapy dog ​​now, as he has pretty severe PTSD and a traumatic brain injury from serving in the military,” Russell said. “Hopefully, we’ll have him home by the end of the month.”
Piddle’s story moved internet users and many left words of support and affection for the furry friend.
