Dog had terrible anxiety and her family didn't know what to do... but that all changed when they adopted a kitten

Lucy the golden retriever had a serious case of separation anxiety. She would fall apart whenever her parents left the house.

lucy the dog
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"She's always been really close with my husband," Lindsey Getz, Joe's wife, told The Dodo. "A few years back, he took a job where he had to travel more often. When the suitcase comes out, she starts to cry. She lies in bed all day instead of getting up. She doesn't want to go to the bathroom."

Getz tried everything from antidepressants, to setting up Facetime with her husband and Lucy… but nothing worked.

That all changed when they adopted a kitten named Pete.

pete the kitten
Credit: Lindsey Getz

Pete had been picked up as a stray in Kentucky, and ended up being transferred to Forever Home Animal Rescue, a shelter in Pennsylvania. "The description of him really interested us," Getz said. "It said he had a really easygoing temperament, and that he was a really laid-back kitten."

Pete was initially scared when he arrived at his new home. "He was a little overwhelmed from coming from the rescue to a house with a dog, and two loud kids," Getz said. "So he did hide a lot the first day."

pete the kitten with his new family
Credit: Lindsey Getz

It didn’t take long for Pete to come around, and he started to bond with the family. Even better, he became best friends with Lucy.

pete the kitten with lucy the dog
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"I remember we got him in the morning and that night he laid on the couch with Lucy, which we couldn't believe," Getz said. "He was willing to hang out with a dog, and I don't know if he'd ever seen a dog before. Pete was grooming Lucy's paws a couple days after we got him."

The two are now inseparable.

pete the kitten and lucy the dog eating together
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"Lucy's almost 10, so she's definitely a pretty senior dog," Getz said. "But I'll see her get toys out, which she hasn't done in so many years. And she'll show them to him."

pete the kitten and lucy the dog snuggling
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"Her mood is much better," Getz said. "She'll still whimper a bit when she sees the suitcase come out, but it's so much better."

pete and lucy cuddling
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"They're always together," Getz added. "They're either curled up by the door, or on the couch. So I feel like she's never alone."

pete and lucy on the couch
Credit: Lindsey Getz

"We are so glad we adopted Pete," Getz said. "He's definitely everything we were looking for in a pet. He's changed our life — and he changed Lucy's life."

pete and lucy best friends furever
Credit: Lindsey Getz