A woman returning home from hospital has shared footage of the heartwarming moment her blind rescue dog heard her voice for the first time in a month.
Josie Stewart, from Brighton in the U.K., posted a clip of the moment she surprised her 10-year-old dog Fleur to her TikTok @whatjosiedidnext. It makes for emotional viewing.
“I had a kidney infection that led to sepsis and then I had a few complications so was gone for a month,” Stewart told Newsweek. “Fleur was being really well looked after by my family, who love her as much as I do. She was okay but spent a lot of time in my room when I was gone.”
Stewart admits she was a little concerned about how Fleur would react to her return. “I missed her so much and I felt quite worried that she’d sort of ignore me when I came back,” she said. “Her reaction was a lovely surprise.”
In the video, Fleur can be seen reacting to the sound of Stewart’s voice. It’s a reaction of sheer joy as Fleur goes in search of her favorite human. The clip concludes with Fleur giving Stewart some affectionate kisses, evidently delighted to have her home.
The video serves as a reminder of just how much our canine companions miss us when we are gone. In 2011, a study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science put this theory to the test. Researchers recruited 12 dogs with no history of separation anxiety for the experiment.
The dogs were left home alone for periods of 30 minutes, two hours and four hours before their owners returned. In each instance, the dog’s response to their owner’s return was monitored by researchers. They found that the dogs exhibited a “higher frequency of physical activity and attentive behavior” when they returned after two hours compared with 30 minutes.
It suggests absence makes the heart grow fonder for our four-legged friends. Fleur has only been a part of Stewart’s life since she was adopted in 2022, but they have been through so much together, forging a special bond in the process.
“I got Fleur from the Dogs Trust in 2022. While there they had to remove one of her eyes due to glaucoma and the same thing happened to the other eye a year after I got her,” Stewart said.
Fleur’s pet insurance didn’t cover the cost of this operation, so Stewart turned to social media, setting up a GoFundMe on Fleur’s Instagram, @fleurbaby. Within 24 hours they had hit the required target.
It’s no exaggeration to say Fleur would be lost without the love and support Stewart provides, but the feeling is undoubtedly mutual. “She’s a very intuitive dog,” Stewart said. “I have a condition called cystic fibrosis and have had a double lung transplant and she somehow knows when I’m ill. She’s very special!”
Stewart has faced some difficult times due to her health battles and having Fleur around has provided a much-needed lift. “She’s super silly and playful, loves people and food and playing with other dogs at the park,” Stewart said. “She’s 10 but acts like a puppy.”
That’s why their happy reunion meant so much to Stewart. “I felt so happy!” she said. “She’s my shadow so it was strange not seeing her everyday and she helps me so much when I’m anxious. When I saw her I felt like everything was going to be okay.”
Fleur stayed by Stewart’s side constantly after that special moment caught on camera. She has rarely left her human companion’s side since, in fact. That’s just fine by Stewart though. She’s just happy being back with her best friend.