“That is the most loyal dog I have ever seen.”
If you walk by Chloe Bonnell’s house in Tallahassee, Florida, chances are you’ll spot a sweet face looking back at you. A black and white dog named Atlas sits in the window all day, patiently waiting for his mom to return.
And the pup’s faithfulness hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Bonnell adopted Atlas last March after a friend sent her a Facebook post about an abandoned litter of puppies. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for a dog, but when she met Atlas, he wouldn’t let her leave without him.
“He came right up to me and wouldn’t leave me alone,” Bonnell told The Dodo. “I feel like God told me to get that pup because he knew what was coming next. He’s my little saving grace and has been with me through this whole pandemic and virtual teaching.”
When Bonnell returned to in-person teaching, she worried that Atlas would suffer from separation anxiety — especially since Atlas is a high-energy dog.
“He is completely rambunctious and loves to play. He will run and run and run all day long if you let him,” Bonnell said. “He’s super sweet, super energetic, loves people, loves kids and just wants to be with you.”
But to her surprise, when Atlas was left in the home alone, he didn’t chew or destroy a single thing. Instead, he just sat in his favorite spot by the window for hours, waiting for his mom to return.
“He really, truly loves just sitting in that sunshine and watching the world around him,” Bonnell said.
Last week, Bonnell returned home from work after a stressful day to find a package at her door. When the UPS delivery man drove up the street and stopped in front of her house, she assumed something was wrong.
“He said, ‘Excuse me, ma’am, can I talk to you for a second?’ I put my stuff down and walked back out to him, preparing for some random bad news,” Bonnell wrote on Facebook. “He said, ‘That is the most loyal dog I have ever seen. Does he just sit there all day and look out the window while you are gone? Every time I drive by, he is sitting right there. Even when I come up to drop off a package, he doesn’t bark at me. Most dogs do. I knock and he just looks at me. I guess he is just waiting for you to come home, so he’s not bothered by me. Anyways, I love driving by because I always see him sitting in the window.’”
Bonnell was moved by the sweet moment, and the fact that Atlas had managed to touch the life of a complete stranger.
“When you’re having a bad day, you just need a pick-me-up,” Bonnell said. “And that was the most perfect thing I could’ve asked for.”
That night, Bonnell made sure to give Atlas extra love and attention. And, as always, let him run around to his heart’s content.
Atlas knows he’s a good boy, and now it’s clear everyone else in the neighborhood does, too.