Every time UPS driver Katie Newhouser pulled into his apartment complex, Leo the bulldog would get excited.
“Whenever I went to the complex, he would go crazy and run to see me,” Newhouser recalled. “He really liked me for some reason.” He’d always run up and lick my face.
Leo would even hop into her truck. “He would just sit there and sniff around,” Newhouser explained. “When it was time to leave, he didn’t want to go.”
One day, when Katie was walking Leo, she finally met his owner, Tina.
“I saw Tina walking Leo and stopped to pet him,” Newhouser said. “That’s how I met Tina.” I always do that—if someone has a dog, I stop to say hi.”
This went on for over a year: whenever Neuhauser arrived, Leo would run up to greet her.
But everything changed one October day last year.
“I had been on vacation, and when I came back, I went to the complex,” Newhouser said. “As I pulled in, I saw Tina’s son Cannon moving furniture, and I thought, ‘That’s strange.'”
Katie tried calling Tina several times, but her calls went to voicemail. Katie finally checked Tina’s Facebook and was shocked to learn that Tina had passed away.
Tina’s son, Cannon, reached out and asked if Katie could watch Leo while he went away for Marine training.
“I told him, ‘I’ll take care of Leo until you get back from training,'” Neuhouser recalled. “He agreed. I picked Leo up that Saturday.”
“When I got there, Leo ran up and barked at me, just like he always did when I was in my UPS truck,” Newhouser said. “Then he jumped into the truck. He probably thought he was going for a ride, which he loves, but he was clearly confused.”
In the weeks after Tina’s death, Leo struggled. He often woke Katie in the middle of the night, crying for his owner.
Luckily, Leo had two new dog siblings and Katie’s endless love. After a few weeks, Leo began to adjust and feel at home.
Katie stepped up for Leo when no one else could. She cared for him and showed him he had a forever home.
We feel for Leo but are happy he found Katie.
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