Heart and Soul had already been through so much together. Abandoned on the side of a busy highway with no one to care for them, the two dogs clung to each other for comfort and protection. Where one went, the other followed. They weren’t just best friends — they were each other’s lifeline.
So when tragedy struck and Soul was badly injured in an accident, Heart did the only thing she knew how to do: she stayed by his side.
“She was barking at people and being protective,” said Donna Lochmann, Chief Lifesaving Officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis. “Not in an aggressive way — more like, ‘That’s my friend, and he’s hurt. I’m not leaving him.’”
Lochmann happened to be passing by when she saw the scene unfold. Without hesitation, she jumped in to help. She gently leashed Heart and secured her in the front seat of her Jeep, then carefully wrapped Soul in a blanket and lifted him into the back.
Even from the front seat, Heart never took her eyes off Soul. She watched over him the whole ride to the shelter — her gaze unwavering.
At the shelter, she stayed just as close, keeping a silent watch as the veterinary team examined her best friend. But then came the heartbreaking news: Soul’s injuries were too severe. There was nothing they could do to save him.
Staff brought Heart into the room so she could say goodbye.
“She laid her head on him,” Lochmann said. “It was like she was hugging him one last time.”
Heart remained beside Soul until the very end — loyal, loving, and completely heartbroken.
As shelter staff grieved with her, they knew they had to do something special to honor the unbreakable bond between the two dogs. They gave Heart a warm bath and a quiet room to rest in, then came up with a touching way to keep Soul with her forever.
“We got her a little charm you can open and place ashes inside,” Lochmann said. “We put some of Soul’s ashes in it and attached it to her collar.”
The charm also carries a golden wing — a tribute to Soul’s spirit and the bond he and Heart shared.
“She’ll never be without him now,” Lochmann added.
After only a few days, Heart moved into a loving foster home. Her shelter family misses her, but they’re comforted knowing she’s safe, loved, and healing.
“She’s doing well and really enjoying the people in her foster home,” Lochmann said. “She’s getting all the love she deserves.”
Heart is still waiting for her forever family, but one thing is certain: when she finds them, Soul will go too. His remaining ashes — and his pawprint — will be sent along with her, so their bond will live on in her new home.
To support animals like Heart and Soul, make a donation to Stray Rescue of St. Louis or check out their list of available adoptees.
