When Nicole lost her soul dog, Trixie, she was devastated.
Trixie was a senior American Bully dog whom she adopted from a shelter at the age of 8 years. For the next four years, this adorable senior dog was Nicole’s best friend and soulmate.
Trixie lived her golden years in the best way possible, and she was deeply loved by her family.
So, when it was finally time for her to cross the rainbow bridge, she made sure to send a gift to her family to make their grieving process a bit easier.
Love and healing are at the center of this beautiful story.
A Gift From Beyond
When Trixie passed away, Nicole and her brother decided to drop off some supplies to the shelter they got her from.
As they were walking through the very packed shelter, they noticed that there was one dog who wasn’t barking at all.
This sweet mid-sized chocolate dog named Rena was just sitting there in her kennel looking for someone to come pet her.
“At the shelter, she was pressing her body up against the cage just looking for pets,” Nicole told GeoBeats Animals. “Trixie was also the only dog in the shelter who was not barking.”
Rena reminded them so much of Trixie that they immediately felt a strong connection with her.
The dog was also sadly in desperate need of help.
Rena was found as a stray dog in the DC area, and brought to the local shelter. Eventually, she got adopted, but sadly, after a year, her owner passed away.
Their children tried to take her in, but their housing wouldn’t allow it, so Rena ended up back at the shelter, where unfortunately, she was having a hard time finding a home.
She was then transferred to a New Jersey shelter, where she met Nicole.
“She came into our life through my past dog, Trixie,” said Nicole, confident that it was her late dog who brought Rena into their life.
They then decided to take Rena in temporarily because they were still grieving, but they fell in love with her almost immediately.
Love Renewed
As soon as they brought Rena into their house, she was the happiest little girl.
“She carried the same characteristics as Trixie, like her love for tennis balls, wiggling in the grass, and lounging in the sun. I truly believe Trixie sent us this dog and is watching over. I saw this as a sign to make it permanent and officially adopt this sweet lady into our lives.” Nicole wrote on Instagram.
Rena is a three-year-old bundle of joy that loves to play a lot, as opposed to Trixie, who was a senior dog that loved to sleep a lot.
But, a playful little girl is exactly what this grieving family needed.
She is the cutest “chocolate cow” with the funniest floppy ears that you will ever see.
“It’s interesting, Trixie had specific spots outside that she always gravitated towards. Sometimes I’ll catch Rena near those spots just sniffing around,” Nicole said.
In addition to being a playful pup who brings joy to everyone, Rena has an exceptional ability to gravitate toward people who need her in particular ways, just like her parents needed her to mend their broken hearts.
One day, Nicole decided to Google the meaning of Rena’s name, and what came up brought tears to her eyes.
“I randomly decided to google this foster pups name to understand the meaning, and was happily shocked to find that it had the same meaning as Trixie’s name…’joy’,” Nicole wrote in her Instagram post.
The fact that two random dogs had so many similarities and, on top of that, the same meaning of their name was the sign they needed – Trixie sent them Rena.
Coping with the loss of a beloved pet can be a challenging journey through the grieving process.
Be kind to yourself as you navigate this difficult time, allowing space for healing and understanding.