Once upon a time, there was a 9-year-old golden retriever named Bruce. For most of his life, he lived in a shed, serving as a breeding dog for a backyard breeder. But in 2024, a couple came along and adopted this senior pet from Humane Fort Wayne. Now, Bruce's life is filled with toys, affection, and TikTok fame.

Golden Years Can Be the Best

Aubrey Turner and her wife adopted Bruce in 2024 after losing their previous dog in July. "She was only 3 years old, and we took her loss very hard. At first, the idea of another dog in the house was unbearable, but after a lot of grieving, we realized how much we missed having a furry friend. Soon enough, we were applying to local shelters," Turner tells PEOPLE.While searching for a new dog, Turner held out hope for a rescue golden retriever. "Golden retrievers have been my favorite dog breed since I was very little, and I had always dreamed of having one," she shares. After starting the search, she found Bruce on Humane Fort Wayne's website and was immediately drawn to him. She talked it over with her wife, and they agreed that they had to meet the golden retriever.Bruce the senior golden retriever.Aubrey Turner.With Bruce still on her mind, Turner decided to visit him during her lunch break at work the day after spotting him online. "The first time I saw him, he looked very defeated. His head was hung down low as he walked into the meeting room, his tail was tucked between his legs, and he refused to take any treats from me or the shelter assistant," Turner recalls.The animal lover learned that Bruce was used as a breeding dog before arriving at Humane Fort Wayne. "He lived in a shed outside, never getting the comfort of being inside a warm home or knowing the loving touch from humans. His grooming needs were severely neglected, as he came to us with long, matted hair," Turner says.Despite his initial hesitation, Bruce gave Turner "soft kisses" during their first meeting and looked deeply into her eyes. "When I looked into his eyes, it really felt like love at first sight. His spirit was worn down and battered but never broken. You could tell there was still a happy, joyful dog deep inside; he just needed a little help to let that side of him out," she says."He came home with me that day, and he has been thriving every day since," she adds.Bruce seems to understand he has entered a new, tender stage of his life. Turner says the canine became a "velcro dog" the second he arrived at his forever home, staying close to his pet parents. At first, the senior pup had no interest in toys, which he likely didn't encounter much during his life as a breeding dog."Bruce definitely appears to have a little bit of trauma from his past, most notably when it comes to any sudden or loud noise, as this sends him into a panic. He gets very anxious when we are out of his sight, so I believe he has some separation anxiety from being neglected for so many years. Despite his trauma & difficult past, he is still the most loving, gentle dog I've ever met," Turner says.With the protection of a loving home, Bruce has had room to explore his gentle and playful side. "His tail once constantly tucked between his legs, now wags fiercely at even the mention of his name," Turner shares. Bruce now "puppy gallops" around the house instead of using a slow, timid walk, and he is "always smiling.""He is truly a whole new dog from the first time I met him to now, almost two months later, in his forever home," his pet parent adds.Some of those smiles come from the golden retriever's new collection of toys, delights he didn't get to enjoy in his previous living arrangement."His absolute favorite toy is his Lambchop (Lamby). This was the first toy we bought for him, and he immediately became attached to it. He never chews or destroys it; he just carries it with him to the couch to snuggle," Turner says.Bruce has discovered that he also loves whipped cream and humans."Despite the horrible treatment that people have put him through, he still wants nothing more than to be best friends with every human we meet," his owner adds.Other animal lovers have witnessed Bruce's amazing transformation through his TikTok (@seniorboybruce), where Turner shares the dog's progress and day-to-day activities.Bruce already has thousands of social media followers and TikTok clips with over 235,000 viewers.Turner started the TikTok account for several reasons. First, she wanted to document her family's time with their new senior pet."I don't want to forget a single moment with him, and because he was robbed of so many experiences that all dogs should get to enjoy, I wanted to be able to capture his 'firsts' to be able to relive them over and over again," she adds. "Second, I wanted to help share the importance of adopting, especially with senior dogs."According to Turner, not only has her "truly perfect" pup's life changed, but hers has also."Since welcoming Bruce into our home, I can honestly say I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. He opened my heart back up and healed wounds inside of me that I didn't think could be healed. He has saved us just as much as we saved him," she says.Turner hopes Bruce's growing popularity later in life will raise awareness of the dangers and damage of backyard dog breeding and the joy that comes with adopting a pet."One of the biggest things I hope people can take away from Bruce's story is the damage that puppy mills and backyard breeding do. The adult dogs suffer, the puppies suffer, and in turn, all dogs in shelters suffer because the demand for puppy mills is still so high. Bruce suffered for 9 years so his 'owners' could make a profit. There are so many wonderful, loving dogs in shelters who could be your best friend; you just have to give them a chance," Turner shares.