Last Updated on July 4, 2022 by Pets Feed
When Nicole Renae saw the senior dog up for adoption on Facebook, she thought he looked oddly familiar to her. He never imagined it was the dog that had been abandoned as a child.
When Nicole Renae from Pennsylvania saw a dog up for adoption on Facebook, she thought he looked oddly familiar to her. Nicole says she remembered her beloved childhood pup named Chloe, which is why she decided to adopt the 11-year-old dog.
As an only child, Nicole felt a little lonely. But everything changed when he was 10 years old. For her birthday that year, Nicole’s grandmother surprised her with an adorable little gray puppy they named Chloe.
From the start, the two were inseparable.
Nicole told the BBC:
I was 10 and all I wanted was a puppy. He was wearing a pink bow when Nana gave him to me. We were best friends.
A woman finds her childhood dog
Over the next four years together, the bond between Nicole and Chloe grew stronger. Every ounce of love Nicole would give, the little dog would return tenfold.
Nicole told The Dodo:
She was such a sweet little dog. She would lick your face forever if you didn’t stop her.
Nicole’s grandmother passed away a few years ago, and Nicole says reuniting with Chloe has helped her family come to terms with their loss.
Recalling the day she had to give Chloe up for adoption, Nicole recalls her sadness at that time.
She said:
My dad got a new job from home, but Chloe was too loud and he had to be on the phone all the time. I remember my dad picking me up from school when I was 14 with the dog in the backseat. I knew we had to give it.
She said:
We had no other choice. I was just a girl, so obviously I had no choice. It was heartbreaking. I didn’t want to get rid of my dog.
With no easier option, Nicole and her family turned Chloe over to their local Humane Society. They were optimistic the dog would find a new home with people who loved him, but saying goodbye still wasn’t easy.
Nicole said:
I felt so sick and sad about it. I thought I would never see or hear from him again.
Although Chloe is no longer in her life, she never left Nicole’s heart.
Over the years, I have always thought of her. Once I called the Humane Society to try to find out what happened to him, but they couldn’t tell me. So I never knew.”
Over time, Nicole grew up, got married and had a child, but there was always something missing. Knowing the joy of having a dog as a child, Nicole wanted to give the same to her daughter. She first thought about adopting a puppy, until she came across a post on Facebook about an older dog who needed a new home.
Nicole said:
I saw the photo of the dog and I thought, ‘This dog looks familiar to me. Then I read the name: it was Chloe. It’s the same spelling as my old dog. I thought it was a coincidence.
But then Nicole decided to adopt the dog, not yet realizing, of course, that the two already knew each other well.
She said:
When they left her she ran up to me and licked my face. So I knew in my heart it had to be the same dog.
However, her husband was more skeptical:
He thought I was crazy, so we went to see the chip.
But Nicole’s suspicions were correct, as Chloe was the dog she gave up seven years ago.
She said:
We couldn’t believe it. She’s crazy!
Chloe is settling in well in her new home with Nicole.
Nicole said:
She’s a bit smaller and has no teeth, but she still likes to run.
Nicole later learned that Chloe had been adopted by an older couple shortly after her abandonment. She had lived happily with them for many years before they passed away. She was again adopted by another family, but they could not support her.
Chloe is now 11 years old, but she is still as healthy and energetic as Nicole remembered her. And somehow, the reunion of these two lost friends makes them become children again.
Chloe is now happy with Nicole’s family, she has become very close to her four-month-old daughter Violet and they do everything together.
Nicole said:
I’m so happy to have her back. I’m so excited to come home from work to see her every day. She’s the best.
Images: Nicole Renae
