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Samson is a beautiful dog but his family describes him as socially awkward. When he goes to the dog park, he’d rather be by himself and observe rather than join in and play. He tends to be that way with humans as well. If there is a get-together, he’s not one to be the center of attention. It’s not that he’s shy, he’s just not playful.
Lea adopted Samson to train him as a medical response service dog. But, as she says in the video below, he takes his job a “little too serious sometimes.” When Samson isn’t on duty, he has a hard time just being a dog. Which is the one thing he should be good at! Lea desperately wanted to help Samson. All dogs deserve a happy and full life.
One day when the family was traveling, Samson met a kitten. This was the first time he showed interest in another animal. It was the lightbulb moment Lea needed.
Samson spotted the kitten through a store window and all he wanted to do was get inside that store to play with her. Lea calls it her “a-ha” moment. Seeing that Samson is capable of playing was so heartwarming.
Lea wanted to see Samson make social connections which he sorely had been lacking. Now she had a good idea of how to help him. Lea reached out to a local rescue and a few months later, they brought Cleo home. Lea put Cleo’s carrier in the middle of the room and called Samson over.
Samson sniffed the carrier and actually started to cry! When Lea opened the carrier and picked Cleo up, Samson got so excited. It was as if this little kitten was just for him! Just as Lea had hoped, Samson formed a connection with Cleo immediately. It was as if these two were meant to be.
As Cleo settled in, Samson didn’t leave her side. He wanted to snuggle with her and play with her. He’d actually pick up her cat toys and place them before her as if he were saying, “play with me!” The two were pretty much inseparable.
The family decided to introduce Cleo to the great outdoors. They bought a special backpack to put her in when they went hiking and worked on getting her leash trained.
The kitten was so wide-eyed as she stared at this whole new world. And of course, Samson was right there making sure Cleo was okay.
But as Cleo walked on these long hikes, her little legs grew tired. It’s understandable! One stride for a human, and Samson, were many strides for little Cleo. At one point, she grew so tired that she refused to walk.
Her mom and dad figured they’d put her into her backpack but then had another idea. What follows in this amazing tale is too cute to miss.
We are so happy that the socially awkward service dog finally found his soulmate. Samson is no longer a loner and Cleo has the perfect big brother looking out for her. We can’t get enough of this duo and you won’t be able to either.
Check out their heartwarming video below!
