Good Old Bruno

Before we get to the video, shout-out to Ulla for increasing her subscription. Thank you very much, Ulla!

Now let’s watch the story of a dog leading a double life. In one, he’s the beloved pet of a Minnesota couple. But every day, he wanders into the little town of Longville for treats and loving from the locals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxSX3IeO7MA&rel=0

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42 thoughts on “Good Old Bruno

  1. allein ? September 8, 2016 / 1:37 pm

    This jut made me happy. Thanks. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • allein ? September 8, 2016 / 1:41 pm

      *just*

      No edit window?

      • Not That Mike The Other Mike September 8, 2016 / 1:43 pm

        Comment editing is back now. Sorry, I’ve been turning functions back on one at at time.

        • Doug September 8, 2016 / 2:01 pm

          HACKER !! *Snickers*

  2. Dubravkamcvmd September 8, 2016 / 2:01 pm

    What a wonderful story

  3. debg September 8, 2016 / 2:02 pm

    I would visit that town just to meet Bruno.

    • jerzowa September 8, 2016 / 2:06 pm

      Me too! I would go there from Poland! What a guy!?

    • joods September 8, 2016 / 9:28 pm

      I would too to hug that sweet boy.
      Let’s have a group road trip!! ? ?

  4. Faye September 8, 2016 / 2:05 pm

    This dog gets out more than I do. And he knows more people too. Hmmm. I bet he has a friendlier personality/dogsonality than mine. Add a few therapy sessions to my already long list. ?

    • Claire September 8, 2016 / 4:18 pm

      Haha, oh Faye, I’m pretty sure almost all dogs have a friendlier personality/dogsonality than mine, too! They’re such little extroverts. Honestly, even my cat was more extroverted and friendlier than I am. Oh well. ยฏ\_(ใƒ„)_/ยฏ

      • Julie September 8, 2016 / 6:37 pm

        Faye and Claire – this made me think of a company that makes jewelry that I saw at a trade show. They had 16 different charms that represented your “spirit animal”. You picked your spirit animal based on a series of personality questions, which was based on the Meyers-Briggs system. I think the dog was an ESFP because I remember thinking it was exactly the opposite of me on all 4 measures. So, I think maybe my soul mate is a dog? ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. EAG46 September 8, 2016 / 3:18 pm

    Bruno lives an ideal dog life. Lots of friends, lots of snacks, lots of love during the day, and a nice safe place to sleep at night.

  6. Susan September 8, 2016 / 3:22 pm

    I really wish someone would drive him to town, he’s getting old after all. They could drop him off right out of sight so no one would know.

  7. murkle46 September 8, 2016 / 3:23 pm

    It sounds like he has had a great,full dog life.Too bad he hasnt had pups to carry on his legacy.

  8. AJ September 8, 2016 / 3:46 pm

    There must be something in the water in MN?
    Here’s another popular dog down in Monticello, Mauer, the Saint Bernard. My niece sees him all the time riding around town and at the school when she picks her kid up.

    https://www.facebook.com/mauerthedog/?fref=ts

    • Faye September 8, 2016 / 4:02 pm

      Oh wow! Big Therapy Dog!

  9. General Mint September 8, 2016 / 4:19 pm

    Mike, I cancelled my monthly donation because you keep posting stories and items like this. This dog looks he has no ID collar, his owners talk about how they used to chain him up, and this poor dog is allowed to run outside on the street with no supervision? At best, tragically irresponsible, at worst, outright cruel.

    • Sumo-Mermaid September 8, 2016 / 4:51 pm

      Don’t know if you did any checking, but the population of Longville is 156 as of last count. I’ve been there; it’s off the beaten path and doesn’t get much traffic. It’s a shame you’re penalizing Mike for giving us a story that’s been all over the internet in the last few weeks. You’ve made me sad.

      • Sumo-Mermaid September 8, 2016 / 5:04 pm

        Adding to my previous comment: I rewatched the video and at about minute 1, you can see a tag hanging from a collar.

    • Chris September 8, 2016 / 5:01 pm

      According to the New York Daily News:

      Bruno wears a collar with his name and the LaValleesโ€™ number on it, which results in out-of-towners who arenโ€™t in-the-know calling the house to report the missing dog. The LaValles constantly reassure callers that Bruno will find his own way home.

      LaValle said that the townspeople take good care of Bruno. Many give him snacks โ€” venison is his favorite, but he also accepts doughnuts โ€” or even rides home now that the old dog is slowing down some.

      โ€œHe knows so many people that he’ll just lay next to a truck of somebody he knows, and they will drive him back here,โ€ LaValle told Today. โ€œItโ€™s kind of comical but also amazing how much attention people give to him.โ€

    • AJ September 8, 2016 / 6:34 pm

      We have a cat similar to Bruno who roams the apartment complex near my house. The cat has a laminated card on it harness with the owners name and phone number. Everyone in the complex knows and loves Jake the cat, is kinda of a local celebrity. I did have to call the owner one day because Jake had hurt his foot, the owner came down right away and took him to the vet so he is very well cared for. His owner says for whatever reason, he has the need to roam and whenever he’s tried to keep him inside, he’s very unhappy and in fact, once jumped off a 2 or 3 story balcony so he can do his roaming. Sometimes with animals like Bruno and Jake, it’s actually cruel to keep them confined. I may not agree with these practices personally but as long as the animal is happy, looked out for, and taken care of, who am I to complain. I’d rather save my hate for people who truely abuse and hurt animals. Steps off soapbox, please return to your regular dose of cuteness.

    • George Michael Sherry September 9, 2016 / 3:10 am

      This story and the varied reactions to it do raise an interesting point. Dogs, pets, domesticated animals are our responsibility. We took them out of nature hundreds of generations ago, bred them to suit our preferences, keep them in artificial situations for which their evolved behaviors may not be optimal. We owe them care and consideration.

      However, they are also separate beings with minds and personalities of their own. Bruno is doing what he wants to. He’s living his own life on his own terms. He was miserable chained up; he’d probably be miserable behind a fence or kept in the house (which isn’t even practical for a large dog). Should his people (who took him in as a stray) have gone to great effort to try to train his behaviors out of him, and possibly failed or made him miserable? Should they have given him to a shelter where he’d have been returned after each adoption (because he kept running away) and eventually euthanized? They’re letting him be himself. Even if he does get run over, he died being his own dog. There are worse fates.

      • Bella September 9, 2016 / 6:48 am

        Well said!

      • Julie September 9, 2016 / 9:45 am

        Agree! You can take a dog out of nature, but you can’t take the nature out of a dog.

        We humans tend to anthropomorphize our pets, which is unfair to them because they aren’t humans and by doing so, we can sometimes deny their instinctual behaviours.

        Dogs used to be hunters before they got involved with humans. It’s normal to want to roam his territory.

      • Murray C. September 9, 2016 / 12:24 pm

        Bravo.

  10. Jasper's Hoomin September 8, 2016 / 5:03 pm

    Mike, I am increasing my subscription amount because you keep posting stories and items like this. This dog is loved. He is wearing an ID collar, and he is well known to the 156 residents of this tiny town in the boonies of Minnesota. They all watch out for him. Granted, he is getting old. I imagine at some point, he will not have the energy to make the trip into town, and then one day he will be gone. Until then, let him be.

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike September 8, 2016 / 5:53 pm

      Thank you. For the record, I get notifications of all cancelled subscriptions and have not yet seen a notification about the cancelled payment mentioned earlier in this discussion.

  11. Julie September 8, 2016 / 6:45 pm

    Mike – I also just left a tip.

    Your site makes me laugh and feel good EVERY DAY!! I would be tremendously sad without this place to come to for intelligent humor.

  12. Duckie ? September 8, 2016 / 6:55 pm

    Totally off topic, but cute funny:
    I have started my English course list to finish my English major. In my poetry class, we had our names on little signs in front of us. The instructor announced that, if we had a nickname we went by, we could put that on our name sign. So I put “Duckie” on mine.
    Went back to same class today. As soon as I walked in, everyone shouted out “Duckie!”
    It’s going to be a difficult course, but I think my classmates are as insane as I am. And we all love to agree with each other at the top of our voices.

    • Faye September 8, 2016 / 7:57 pm

      Go Duckie! Great nickname.

    • Murray C. September 8, 2016 / 8:36 pm

      Sounds very promising, Duckie -I’m certain you’ll do well in such a positive atmosphere.

  13. fkaWaldenPond September 8, 2016 / 8:03 pm

    I love this story; did anyone notice what a chubby goomba he was as a pup?

    • Murray C. September 8, 2016 / 8:41 pm

      “Goomba” – I love it. I think it’s a great story, too – could only happen in a rural setting, I should think. But I agree with Paul that people shouldn’t be giving him people food – can’t help his arthritis. He’s a big boy!

  14. Paul Phillips September 8, 2016 / 8:33 pm

    Great hearting warming story. I just hope he’s not eating too much ice cream.

    • fkaWaldenPond September 8, 2016 / 10:51 pm

      Ida know, if I get to that age, am able to walk that far and still be that social, heck I deserve as much ice cream as I am offered. ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ˜‰

  15. BoosMom September 8, 2016 / 9:16 pm

    The “nuffer” and the effort you put into trying to improve the site recently made me drop a little something into the tip jar! Thanks, Mike, for the cute and the funny every day.

  16. Muppet2171 September 8, 2016 / 9:47 pm

    Reminds me of my mom’s old dog. She would jump the back yard fence regularly and go strolling through the neighborhood. One day, she came home with the biggest bone you’ve ever seen. We honestly (albeit briefly) wondered if she killed someone (she was the sweetest, meekest animal ever…half whippet and half German Shepherd. Body of the whippet and bark of the shepherd – used to scare the sh** out of people who would knock and then ask where our big dog was.). Meanwhile, we finally figured out that it came from a BBQ place about a mile away. She had been hitting them up for scraps every time she took off. ๐Ÿ˜€

    • fkaWaldenPond September 8, 2016 / 10:49 pm

      ๐Ÿ˜€

    • Gigi the cat lady September 9, 2016 / 8:35 am

      Clever dog, if you’re gonna beg for scraps, there’s no better place than a BBQ place!

  17. Julie September 9, 2016 / 9:48 am

    I’m actually glad that General Mint posted because sometimes it’s nice to have a little commentroversy. ?

    • Catwhisperer September 9, 2016 / 2:14 pm

      Brings back memories of pudding fights and such. ๐Ÿ™‚
      Honestly, there are as many opinions as people in the world, but at least Cutetropolites (is that what we decided we were?) can disagree without being ugly about it, which is one of the main reasons I love all of you!!!

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