A woman who lost her beloved pet dog to cancer was stunned at what her other dog, his littermate, did following his death.
Ari Bartholomew lives in New York and until recently was the proud owner of two dogs, Bentley and Madison. Ten years ago, she welcomed them to her family when they were just 6 weeks old.
“They did everything together. They really have never been apart until now,” Bartholomew, a veterinary assistant, told Newsweek.
When Bentley was diagnosed with cancer and died just a month later, Bartholomew was shattered.
“It was really rough seeing him go from a big, indestructible meathead that couldn’t be hurt by anything to a muscle-wasted, skinny boy that would trip over his own legs because he was so sickly,” she said.
His littermate, Madison, also couldn’t understand what was happening. Bartholomew described the pup as “confused and sad” at her brother’s sickness and eventual death.
Bartholomew grieved for her beloved pet, but while checking old security camera footage she noticed something extremely heartwarming, and she has now shared it with the world, bringing animal lovers to tears.
Ari Bartholomew’s dog Bentley would always wait for her on the stair landing while his littermate, Madison rushed down the stairs first. Now that Bentley is gone, Madison waits patiently for her owner before proceeding downstairs after her.
TikTok @aribartholomew
A video shared to her TikTok account, @aribartholomew, on September 17 shows footage fixed on her stair landing. Bartholomew put together a montage of Bentley and Madison greeting her at the top of the stairs every morning.
Each time, Madison rushes straight down the stairs, while Bentley waits on the landing for Bartholomew to begin descending before following her down.
The montage then shows Madison greeting Bartholomew alone after the loss of her littermate. And while she had always rushed down the stairs before, she now waits patiently for Bartholomew to begin walking down before following, just like her brother used to do.
Bartholomew told Newsweek: “I didn’t notice the stairs thing until a few weeks after I had to put Bentley to sleep, but when I went back and looked at the camera footage I saw that she started doing it the morning after Bentley was gone.”
In a caption, she wrote: “A few days will make it a month since my boy has escorted me down the stairs, I miss him so much but I’m so lucky to have my girl still by my side.”
Ari Bartholomew saw what Madison was doing after she looked at security camera footage of her stair landing.
TikTok @aribartholomew
TikTok users responded in droves, with Bartholomew’s clip racking up over 356,000 likes and 1.5 million views. One commenter admitted: “Darn it I’m sobbing for strangers again.”
Another said they were “crying right after waking up,” with another agreeing: “Oh my god I’m crying.” And one declared they were “bawling.”
“This instantly made me emotional,” another wrote. “She learned from him and took over for him.”
And as one user put it: “How sweet, she knew you needed that.”
Like humans, animals can also feel grief. Newsweek recently spoke to experts on how owners can help their grieving pets. Owners were advised to stick to the pet’s routine, give it plenty of affection and keep an eye on its appetite and energy levels.
Exercise, stimulation and a change of scenery, such as long walks, can also help take a dog’s mind off grief, the experts said.
Bartholomew told Newsweek she shared the clip assuming “some people, mostly friends and family would appreciate the video.” But she had “no idea this many people would be crying over a dog that they never met: my dog, the best dog.”
“I really love seeing all the comments and seeing how loved both my dogs are by a bunch of strangers.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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