Adopting and raising a rescue dog is one of the kindest things you can do, but it has its challenges.
No matter how much love you give them, your pet has formed impressions based on their past owners. That usually means they're not as friendly as they would be if you raised them since they were a puppy. But the best owners find ways to overcome their pet's mistreatment and welcome them into the family.
Elizabeth Spence had to get creative after adopting her English Pointer Nora. The 8-year-old dog started her life with abusive owners, and that left her "afraid of almost everything," according to Spence. No one in her family could get Nora to relax and open up, until her son Archie was born.
Nora doesn't seem to get anxious or afraid around Archie like she does with other humans. In fact, since she's gotten to know her "baby brother," this dog has slowly transformed, stepping out of her shell and really joining her new family.
And Spence's photos of the pair show why Nora feels so happy: these two have an incredible bond...
To explain what makes this dynamic duo so inseparable, Spence says it all goes back to Archie's personality.
"Archie is an extremely laid-back, happy, good-natured baby and all the animals seem to really respond to that, particularly Nora," Spence told The Dodo. "If Archie is having a bath, Nora is lying on the bath mat waiting for him to get out. If I'm nursing him she wants up on my lap, too."
In fact these two are so close they even wear matching outfits,
and share a daily nap,
plus they manage to bond with the Spence family's other pets."At any time of day you're likely to find a pile of kids, cats and/or dogs lying about the house somewhere," Elizabeth says.
And while worrywarts might suggest it's not safe for a toddler to snuggle up with a dog, Spence insists her son is just fine.
"We taught the kids from a very young age to respect the dogs and to treat them well, so the dogs trust and love the kids very much and are quite comfortable hanging out with them in any manner," she says.
You can follow these two on Instagram to see more adorable photos.
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[H/T: The Dodo]
