A pet owner’s heartwarming experience when she tried returning an item to an online pet food store after her dog died has gone viral.
Anna Brose and her husband were in Alaska visiting family last month when Gus, their beloved dog, suddenly died.
Gus was Anna’s best dog. He loved cuddling, hunting squirrels and licking whipped cream from his nose.
Anna was grieving over the loss of her beloved dog so she checked to see if she could return the unopened bag of prescription pet food they purchased from Chewy. The company gave Anna a full refund and suggested that the food be donated to a shelter.
Anna, 28, thought Chewy was done. A few days later, Anna came home to find a package of flowers and a handwritten note on her porch. The flowers didn’t come from a friend or a family member but from Jordan, the Chewy customer service representative she had talked to and who had sent her their written condolences.
Anna said it “meant a lot” that someone else knew about Gus and cared about his passing.
“I didn’t even say his name, but the person must have gone to my profile and looked at my profile,” Anna said. “They came right back to me and said, ‘I’m so sorry about Gus.’ It was so moving.”
Anna was touched by the kindness of the pet food store and took to Twitter to share her story. People around the globe began to pay tribute and share similar stories with Chewy after the passing of their pets.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Chewy’s director of customer service, Andrew Stein, said:
“Customers are at the heart of everything we do at Chewy,” he explained. “Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to surprise them in a moment of joy or provide empathy in a time of sadness.”
“These acts of lasting companionship, which include sending handwritten Christmas cards, hand-painted portraits of pets and sympathy flowers, are embedded in our culture and allow us to create deeply personal and emotional connections through all heights. and pet’s lows. parent journey,” he added.
Anna and her husband married in 2017, shortly after which Anna met Gus, then three years old, at a shelter near Billings in Montana. Anna said the Chocolate Lab-German Shorthaired Pointer mix was “really nervous and scared.”
“I don’t know what his life was like before, but he kept coming back to us, seeking comfort and safety,” Anna said. “He wanted to be with us. It just felt right.”
Gus’s fear of being outside was gone as soon as they took him for a run, walk, or run in Indiana, Montana and Alaska. He’d be more playful and wrestle with Juniper, the couple’s other dog, at home and the dog park.
“As soon as he was outside, all his fear disappeared,” said Anna, a wildlife ecologist.
Anna and her husband had known that Gus had mysterious health symptoms, but were assured that none were life-threatening. Gus died on the night of May 26th, according to a friend who was caring for him while they were gone.
Anna said Gus was only 7- or 8 years old.
His death was later confirmed by the vet as stomach bloat, also known as gastric dilatation Volvulus (GDV). This serious condition occurs when a dog’s stomach is filled with food, gas, or liquid and then turns clockwise. It can develop quickly and can lead to death if not treated.
It’s unclear what caused Gus’ stomach bloat.
Anna shared her online experience with the pet store and many people responded with photos of Gus or their own pets. Anna shared that the overwhelming support they received from the public has been a huge help in their grief process.
Gus is gone, but Anna has made it through the day without him. Anna and her husband are trying to make ends meet. They have focused on taking care of Juniper, who Anna said is “absolutely lonely and confused” without her dog sibling.
“The kindness Chewy and Twitter have shown since then has kind of restored my faith in humanity,” Anna said. “We still talk about Gus so he doesn’t become the sad thing that disappears from our lives.”
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