A loyal dog who sat in the same spot on his family’s driveway for seven years, waiting for his late owner to come home, has passed away at 12 years old. His family believes the dog and his owner have now reunited, and the sweet story has gone viral.
“Dad had a shop behind the house that he loved to work in, fixing things, building things,” Lydia told The Epoch Times. “He loved to work on cars out there and Rufus was always with him in that shop.”
Additionally, John also had crawfish ponds on his land that were shallow.
“Rufus loved to run in the ponds with Dad when he was checking the traps,” Lydia said. “He was a natural hunting dog and loved to chase anything that moved out there: raccoons, possums, nutria, snakes, and even skunks. Dad would laugh watching Rufus gallop through those ponds.”
The two of them shared an incredible bond, and Rufus bought a lot of joy to John.
On Jan. 2, 2016, John suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital in Lake Charles. Doctors discovered he had an “extremely rare anomaly of the heart,” which complicated his recovery.
“He had lived his entire life without knowing about this anomaly with no complications,” Lydia said. “He lived a very active life, even served in the U.S. Army after high school.”
After some time in intensive care, Lydia’s father was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, where he passed away.
“Dad was taken by ambulance the night of his heart attack and never returned; he passed away 17 days later. I know Rufus sensed something was wrong,” Lydia said. “His mom was grieving, there were lots of grieving family members around, and he may have been confused since Dad’s truck was home.”
Rufus had become used to laying on the driveway and facing the road whenever Lydia’s dad was away.
“Since Dad was retired, he normally wasn’t gone for very long periods of time. Rufus knew he’d be right back, so he waited patiently in that one particular spot,” Lydia said.
After her father died, Lydia and her husband drove past his house and saw Rufus laying patiently beside the truck. A short while later the truck was sold, but loyal Rufus never gave up; he lay on the driveway where the vehicle had been parked, facing the road, waiting for his owner’s return.
Lydia said: “He would still make his usual rounds in the yard and the ponds, but always made his way back to that spot to wait. ... Rufus was well cared for, but he missed Dad. ... It was heartbreaking at times to see him waiting.”
However, Rufus seemed content as that is where he really wanted to be.
Rufus kept up his loyal routine for seven years but also lived a life of love, despite his loss. He adored Teresa and Lydia’s nephew Luke, who lived in the same house. He was friendly to a neighbor, Kirk, with whom Crochet’s father had once tended the land and ponds, and loved to greet visitors.
Since sharing Rufus’s story, Lydia has read a few comments from netizens suggesting the family should have brought Rufus to her father’s funeral for closure.
“Maybe that’s a good idea,” she said. “We were wrapped in grief at the time and that’s not something we considered. Whether it would have changed Rufus’s routine or not, we just don’t know, but his story reminds us to hug and appreciate our dogs each day. They truly are man’s best friend.”
“We believe he died of natural causes, from old age,” Lydia told The Epoch Times. “We were devastated. His mom, Teresa, misses him so much. She said that they’ve had many dogs over the years, but Rufus was one of the best they’d ever had. ... We believe he’s now reunited with Dad.”
“Some stated that Dad finally came to get Rufus in his truck,” she said. “I like that. I believe that if there are ponds in heaven, Rufus is playing in one while Dad looks on. Laughing, of course!”
