Spanky has loved and looked up to his older brother Roman from the day they were born. He always follows Roman around and is at his happiest when they’re together.
Jackie Rogers, Roman and Spanky’s aunt, told The Dodo, “Roman is clearly Spanky’s security blanket.” “Spanky won’t do anything until Roman is close by, and if he isn’t, Spanky gets up and walks up to him.”
Roman’s ear become puffy and infected around two weeks ago, so his mother took him to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with a hematoma. They arranged a surgery to fix it, but Roman’s ear continued to deteriorate as he awaited the procedure, making him increasingly uncomfortable.
Spanky didn’t realize anything was unusual at first, but as Roman’s ear became worse, everyone saw how gentle and worried Spanky was about his closest friend.
“We had to take him back to the vet to ensure he could wait five more days for surgery, and I brought Spanky along for the ride,” Rogers explained. “But due to COVID, we couldn’t go inside with Roman, so Spanky waited in the car crying/whining/barking for 20 minutes until Roman came back.”
All the family could do for Roman now that the operation was planned was to let him calm. The family has a Ring camera set up each day so they can check in on the dogs while everyone is at work, which is especially important now that Roman is missing. Rogers was just checking the video when she spotted Spanky looking at his sibling, who was sleeping on the floor and looking concerned — and then he did the sweetest thing.
Because Spanky cares about his older brother and wants him to be as comfortable as possible, he carried his bed to him so he wouldn’t have to move — because that’s how much he loves him.
Around 10 a.m., Spanky delivered the bed to Roman, and when Rogers returned home that evening, they were still cuddled up there together. Spanky recognizes that his brother isn’t feeling well, and he’s determined to stay by his side until he does, doing everything he can to keep him safe and comfortable in the meantime.
