Frightened rescue dog finds comfort in her 11-month-old loyal friend

“You’re likely to find a pile of kids, cats, and/or dogs lying around the house somewhere at any time of day,” Spence told The Dodo.

The couple has a difficult time saying no to any animal in need of a home, and they are drawn to animals that no one else appears to want. Nora, an 8-year-old English pointer, has had a difficult start in life and is terrified of everything except Archie, an 11-month-old puppy.

“Archie is an extremely laid-back, happy, good-natured baby, and all of the animals, particularly Nora, seem to respond to that,” Spence said. “She grew up in an abusive household and is terrified of almost everything. Archie, on the other hand, isn’t one of them. He is completely adored by her!”

Archie and Nora do almost everything together. Nora is drawn to Archie because he makes her feel safe, so she follows him around and does everything he does.

“If Archie is lying a bath, Nora is waiting for him to get out on the bath mat,” Spence explained. “She wants to sit on my lap with me if I’m nursing him. She’ll be there cheering him on if he goes through my cupboards and throws all the dishes on the floor.”

The couple enjoys spending time in the family’s playroom in particular…

… and they’ve shared many adventures there.

Nora and Archie even take daily naps together…

…and they never seem to tire of cuddling and spending time with each other.

Wellington and Loretta, the couple’s other kids, are also great with the dogs, and the entire gang enjoys playing and hanging out together.

“We taught the kids to respect the dogs and to treat them well from a young age,” Spence said. “As a result, the dogs trust and love the kids and are quite comfortable hanging out with them in any manner.”

Of course, the cats occasionally join in the fun as well.

Nora may have come from an abusive family, but now that she has Archie, the world doesn’t seem so scary, and they can accomplish a lot together.