Former Shelter Dog Still Sleeps With His New Food Bowl 2 Years On

One day, Susanne was browsing the local rescue center’s online site when she saw a picture of a little Jack Russel mix that just melted her heart, writes kingdomstv.

You see she already had a rescue pup living with her at home, and now she began to envision taking care of another dog in need.

“He was 10 years old and I knew instantly that I loved him!” Susanne said speaking to The Dodo.

“I queued for three hours outside the center to ensure I was the first to register my interest, and we bonded the moment we clapped eyes on each other.”

Neville the stray was found wandering the streets with no real purpose, and it was clear to Susanne that his life so far wasn’t easy.

The transition into his new happy forever home was a little difficult, he was clearly happy to be there but still struggled, especially when it came to mealtime.

“We believe he’d been used for breeding and had clearly been treated badly,” Susanne said. “At first, he used to compete for food and tried to feed directly from the floor or from my other dog’s bowl. I had to train him to eat from a bowl, and once he caught on to it, he treasured that bowl,” she added

Two years on, Neville’s most prized possession of all time in his food bowl, even after he is done eating, he takes it with him wherever he goes.

He even takes it to bed and sleeps with it every night.

“I think he just never had one of his own and now realizes he finally has one and is guaranteed a reliable source of decent, nutritious food,” Susanne said. “He just seems so heartbreakingly grateful for a simple bowl. I think it represents comfort and home for him.”

For Susanne, Neville has been a never-ending delight and she hopes that this success story can inspire others to adopt an older dog.

“He’s a gentle, quiet and timid soul who follows me everywhere,” Susanne said. “He’s 12 now and rather deaf and doesn’t see very well — but he loves life!”

This story originally appeared on kingdomstv.com