Diego and Dallas were found abandoned on a street corner when they were only 9 weeks old. They were both incredibly frightened and relied on each other for comfort and strength. They were eventually adopted into a loving family, but even after they were safe, they still refused to leave each other’s side.
“They relied on each other for support and comfort their entire lives,” Lisa Laufer, the pair’s mom, told The Dodo.
Over the years, Dallas also became close with her big little brother, Kodi, and the pair loved playing together. Diego and Kodi were never as close, but he loved watching from afar as his siblings played together. The trio had a wonderful life together — until, sadly, Dallas passed away.
While both dogs were affected by the passing of their sister, Diego was visibly upset. He stopped eating as much and no longer galloped excitedly to his food bowl. Everyone was worried about him and tried to give him some extra love, especially Kodi.
Kodi uses buttons to communicate with his family, and in the weeks after Dallas passed, he started pressing the Diego button a lot. His mom was confused, as he’d never really used that button before, but before long, she realized exactly what he was trying to do.
Kodi would press the Diego button and then the ball button or the scritches button. He would look at his mom, then over at Diego, then back again. Kodi was trying to speak for Diego during a time when he couldn’t speak for himself.
“Kodi wasn’t randomly adding the word ‘Diego’ to his communications — he was wanting Diego to have the stuff that HE (Kodi) loved,” Laufer said.
Now that Dallas is gone, Kodi and Diego have definitely become closer. The brothers are finding comfort in each other and bonding over the loss of their sister, and moving forward together with Dallas watching over them.
“Now that it has been over a month since Dallas passed, Kodi isn’t speaking for Diego as much, and both dogs seem to have a new routine and life after Dallas,” Laufer said. “Kodi being able to communicate for Diego during this difficult time was a blessing, and I feel confident that Diego is being looked after by both humans and by Kodi.”
