Losing a parent is hard for everyone, let alone a kid. They don’t deserve to endure such immense pain at a very young age, but sometimes – they have to because they have to.

This painful part of life already happened to an adorable young girl named Raelynn. She lost her dad just last year and it was a moment she wasn’t prepared for.

Thankfully, a woman and her dog were there to save her grieving heart.

Daddy’s girl.

Just like many of us, Raelynn is also one proud kid who finds herself the safest and happiest whenever she’s with her dad, John David “Davey” Nast, Jr.

Unfortunately, on April 14 of last year, her father succumbed to colon cancer. Nast, Jr. was just 41 years old. The little girl was beyond heartbroken, she was crushed by the bitter fact that her favorite human in the world was already gone.

“It was a cry that was pure heartbreak,” Lacey Nast, Raelynn’s mom, said while recalling the moment Raellynn learned about the tragic news about her beloved daad.

Staying strong.

Raelynn surely was well taught by her parents, particularly her father. In fact, during her dad’s funeral at McConnell Funeral Home Chapel in Greenwood, Arkansas, the sweet little girl volunteered to help greet relatives, friends, and other people who were outside.

While she was at it, she saw a lady jogger, Emily Beineman. On that day, she was jogging with her dog, a Labrador named Blue. The little girl unhesitatingly asked Emily, “May I pet your puppy?”

The unsuspecting jogger responded and said, “Of course! As long as your parents don’t mind!”

Raelynn shyly smiled and innocently answered, “Oh, my parents aren’t out here. My mom’s inside, and my daddy died. We are at his funeral.”

The answer left Emily stunned, before she could even respond to what the little girl said, her dog, Blue walked up to Raelynn. The two sat together and the girl wrapped her hands around the dog’s neck, it almost looked like Blue knew what was going on.

She was giving Raelynn the comfort she badly needed at that moment.

Do dogs feel it when people grieve?

As it turns out, dogs aren’t just man’s best friends but also good companions during difficult times. In fact, it isn’t just superstition or one of the many make-beliefs about dogs.

According to Wag!, “A recent study published in the Animal Cognition journal states that dogs are more apt to walk up to a person who is crying than when that person is exhibiting “normal” happy behaviors. The researchers concluded that a human crying had more of an emotional pull for the dogs – the dogs seemed to empathize with the crying human not from curiosity, but from pure concern. Dogs respond to the crying person’s need, not their own.”

Dogs are really wonderful creations and I think most of you would agree if I’ll say they’re meant to be with humans, wouldn’t you agree?

A newfound friend.

After talking for a couple of minutes, Raelynn made a sudden request, “I want you to meet my daddy! Can you please come meet him?”

Emily sure knew she wasn’t properly dressed for the occasion and it would attract attention to everyone grieving inside. However, she knew it was the little girl’s last chance to introduce a new friend to her dad.

She then wholeheartedly agreed to the invitation and the two went inside the funeral parlor. Despite everything, Raelynn was still proud of her dad up to the very last moment that they were together.

Raelynn and Emily became friends right at that moment and they planned to stay in touch from that day forward. That also meant more playtime between the little girl and Blue.

Watch the video below to know more about this beautiful story.

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Source: Positive Outlooks, Facebook, YouTube