At nearly 18 years old, rescue dog Amba knows how to be a patient big sister. Over the years, she’s welcomed foster pups and adopted siblings into her home, helping each feel at ease by offering cuddles and a spot on her bed.
“She’s done that with all
the dogs who’ve come through here,” Amba’s mom, Dharma Lorenz, told The Dodo. “She’s just been the one that gives comfort to all.”
But recently, Amba has been needing the same patience and support she has so generously given her siblings throughout the years.
The senior pup — a black pittie with a dusting of white hairs across her face — is starting to slow down. She sometimes experiences bouts of confusion, a symptom of dementia.
“She’ll get stuck in a corner or stuck not knowing which direction to go,” Lorenz said. “She kind of just freezes at times.”
During these disorienting moments, Amba isn’t alone. Her younger bother, a white pittie named Satchi, steps in to help. He’ll stand closely next to Amba, staying by her side until she’s ready to move.
Then, he’ll walk and she’ll follow his lead.
“When Satchi is next to her you can see her face relax,” Lorenz said. “It’s so apparent that she feels safe when he’s there. He’s become her means to get her bearings. They have this unspoken arrangement where he knows that’s his job.”
For Lorenz, watching Satchi comfort Amba feels like a full-circle moment. “It’s so touching because that’s what Amba did for Satchi when he was so scared when we first adopted him.”
When Satchi joined her family five years ago, Amba was there to ease his transition. At first, Satchi was fearful. The rescue pup had never lived in a home and was reluctant to come inside. However, he quickly formed a special connection with Amba, who would lie beside him. “Of the dogs, she was really the one that he felt safe with,” Lorenz said. “She has a presence that’s super calm.”
On the surface, Satchi couldn’t be more different than Amba. Satchi is a high-energy pup who loves to leap around the house, catching so much air it almost looks as if he’s flying. Although Amba isn’t active these days, she loves to look on as Satchi “flies.”
“She’ll bark to egg him on,” Lorenz said. “She gets so happy. She’ll have this big smile on her face.”
Although Satchi has a boisterous personality, he knows to show his softer side with Amba. “He’s so gentle with her,” Lorenz said.
Satchi often checks in on Amba and will slow his pace so she can keep up. Satchi doesn’t go outside if Amba isn’t up for it. He’ll lie with her inside, staying behind as their other siblings go play.
Lorenz believes that her pups’ relationship shows how dogs are capable of deep compassion.
“I feel like we can all learn so much from dogs,” she said. “They really know about love. They’re doing what a lot of us aren’t even able to do.”
