For several days, Bertha stayed on the porch of the home she knew. The 7-year-old dog had lived with the same family her entire life, but when they moved away in July, they left without her. She waited there, and they did not return.
Bertha was eventually taken to the City of Mobile Animal Services in Alabama, exchanging a familiar home for the sounds, smells and uncertainty of a shelter. When dog rescuer Marty Miller met her there, Bertha settled between his legs and accepted his petting. She repeatedly sought close physical contact with people.
Miller, who is from Scotland and lives in the United States, publicizes dogs in need in hopes of connecting them with adopters. After he shared Bertha’s situation, the wait for another home was brief: Miller later reported that a permanent family adopted her within 24 hours.
That swift turn gave Bertha a place to land, but adoption did not erase the scale of the change she had experienced. In a short span, she had lost the family and home she had known for seven years, entered a shelter and moved in with unfamiliar people. Her desire to stay close may be understandable in that context, but it does not establish a behavioral diagnosis.
Closeness alone does not prove separation anxiety
The ASPCA’s guidance on separation anxiety identifies abandonment, shelter surrender, a new guardian, moving and the sudden absence of a household member as possible triggers. Bertha encountered several of those disruptions, but she was not reported to have been diagnosed with separation anxiety.
That distinction matters for adopters. A dog leaning against someone, following family members or asking for affection may simply be seeking security while learning a new environment. Separation anxiety is generally associated with distress around departures or while a guardian is absent. Possible signs include persistent barking or howling, destructive behavior near doors or windows, house soiling, pacing, trembling, heavy salivation, escape attempts or marked anxiety as a person prepares to leave.
Other medical and behavioral issues can produce similar signs. A veterinarian can help rule out health problems, while a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or another qualified behavior professional can assess a persistent pattern of separation-related distress. Adopters should seek professional help promptly if a dog appears panicked, attempts to escape, risks injury, stops eating during absences or repeatedly struggles to settle when left alone.
A predictable beginning can help
For a newly adopted dog, the first useful gift may be consistency. The ASPCA recommends preserving routines during major changes and allowing time to adjust. That can mean keeping meals, outdoor breaks, rest and daily interaction on a reasonably dependable schedule rather than filling every hour with visitors and new experiences.
Cornell’s veterinary guidance for dogs entering a new home also recommends a quiet, secure area with familiar bedding or toys when available, food and water in a low-traffic spot, and careful attention to doors and other exits. New surroundings can bring unfamiliar noises and movement, so a smaller calm space may be easier to process than immediate access to the entire home.
Time alone should be introduced thoughtfully. Cornell advises helping a dog become accustomed to the home before leaving, beginning with very short absences and increasing them gradually. If the dog shows stress, the pace may need to slow. Crates are not automatically calming, either; both Cornell and the ASPCA caution that confinement can intensify distress for some dogs, particularly those with separation or confinement problems.
Adopters can also provide safe enrichment and reward calm behavior, but punishment should be avoided. Anxious behavior is a response to distress, not spite, and scolding after returning home can make the experience harder without teaching the dog what to do instead.
Bertha’s next chapter began not on a porch but on a couch, where she was photographed resting with a new toy in her adoptive home. The uncertain wait was over. What remained was the quieter work of learning a new routine beside a family that had chosen her.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
