A woman has revealed why taking her dachshund to day care one afternoon led her to adopt a second dog as she simply couldn't leave the sweet rescue pup behind.

Dog owner Charlotte, 23, who doesn't wish to provide her full name, recalled the day when she dropped her dachshund, Hadley, at doggy day care last year as she was going out for the day. She and her partner, Jack, 24, were going shopping, but what they brought home that day was far more valuable than material items.

After taking Hadley inside, the couple, from the United Kingdom, were told about another dachshund who'd been abandoned at the day care by a breeder and was in terrible shape. The dog, named Vanilla, had previously been adopted but was soon returned to the day care "because she wasn't playful enough," and was still waiting to find her forever home.

It wasn't an easy decision, but after seeing how Vanilla and Hadley interacted so sweetly together, Charlotte told Newsweek that it was clear she "needed to take her home and nurse her back to health."

"We saw Vanilla shaking in the corner, and they let us know she hadn't been eating or sleeping properly. She was just skin and bone, and we felt that if we left her there, she wouldn't be here for much longer," she said.

Shortly after, they took Vanilla to the veterinarian to get checked over and were told that she'd been "bred too young," her teeth were rotting, and she was severely malnourished.

"Because of how thin she was, we couldn't tell much about her overall condition as the vet said it wasn't safe to run any tests until she gained weight. She was so frightened, and the vet said she had never seen love," Charlotte said.

This was devastating to hear, and it made Charlotte even more inclined to give Vanilla the life she deserves. Although it wasn't easy, as the pup refused to leave her crate for the first few days, and she hid under furniture if anyone got too close.

Thankfully she had Hadley, as she relied on him for protection and company. When she became brave enough to leave her crate, Hadley sat with her on the sofa and even showed her how to behave on walks.

"Considering their opposing personalities, the quiet and shy Vanilla, and the loud, bossy Hadley, they bonded really quickly. He let Vanilla rest her head on him, and they'd sleep together which was so nice to see. It showed that he had accepted her," Charlotte told Newsweek.

She added: "She knew Hadley from daycare, but we were told that Vanilla spent a lot of time hidden away in the corner, and Hadley spent most of his time barking at other dogs (he acted like the King of daycare). Their first interactions at home were surprising. We never expected Hadley to accept another dog into the home so quickly, but he took her under his wing."

While Charlotte and Jack may have gone into the daycare with one dog in 2023, they walked back out with two of them, and they couldn't be happier they made that decision. It's been incredible to see the progress that Vanilla has made over the last year, and now she's a perfectly happy, healthy dachshund.

If it hadn't been for Hadley, she might not be as confident as she now is. But Charlotte notes that Vanilla has helped her brother out by teaching him a lot in return.

"Vanilla has picked up everything about family life and being a dog from Hadley. She still copies him whenever she's unsure about any given situation. Vanilla has come on leaps and bounds, and she's truly a different dog," she said.

Charlotte continued: "Vanilla has come out of her shell so much, and I truly think a lot of it is down to Hadley. She had never really been a pet before, so he taught her all the important things. But Hadley has learnt so much too. He's a lot calmer with other dogs now as Vanilla has been great at teaching him how to interact without taking it too far."

TikTok Users React

Charlotte shared this heartwarming story earlier this week on TikTok (@hadleythedachshund) and the post instantly went viral, with over 2.3 million views and 427,800 likes. The online response has been beyond anything she could have imagined. She's been delighted by all the positivity and support that social media users have shown.

Among the 2,500 comments on the post so far, many TikTok users hailed the adorable bond between Hadley and Vanilla.

One user wrote: "Maybe he didn't like other dogs because he was waiting for his soulmate"

Another user added: "It was fate y'all had the urge to go to the mall that day."

While a third TikTok user commented: "They are soul siblings!"

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