Dog keeps 3-year-old boy company during a timeout in adorable photo: 'Best pal'

Kids and pets usually share a special bond and often stand by each other no matter what. A photo shared on Facebook shows this heartwarming relationship between a 3-year-old boy and his dog. The image, which shows the canine standing by his young friend who was given a timeout, has won many hearts on the internet. The boy's mother, Jillian Smith of Norwalk, Ohio, shared the picture of her son Peyton and their English Mastiff dog Dash with the caption: "When you're in time out but your best pal won't let you serve your time alone." The picture went viral with more than 52k shares. Speaking to Good Morning America, Smith said: "I just happened to have my phone on me at the time he was in timeout and took the picture.”

She said that Peyton had hit his sister Ryleigh—who is 5 years old—when he was angry and so they needed to be separated. Smith gave Peyton two options: either go to his room or have a timeout. He opted for a timeout and Dash decided to keep him company. People on the internet instantly fell in love with the picture. One Facebook user said: "What a precious picture! That’s unconditional love at its finest! This picture says it all! Love it." Another commented, "Nothing like a best buddy, even during a time out." A third wrote, "Dash looks to be saying 'I got your back little buddy.'" Another said, "Awww... That's what I call a pure friendship. He really is such a very good dog."

People resonated with the picture and shared their own stories. One said, "Adorable! I grew up with Mastiffs and they are one of the most loving dogs!" Another said, "My son had knee surgery today and his pup hasn’t left his side since coming home from the hospital." A third commented: "Our Bull Mastiff with his gentle heart cried all day almost sounding like human crying when our daughter died. Animals are full of so much empathy." Smith said, "I adore the picture, definitely something I will treasure forever.”

In another heartwarming story about a boy and a dog, Walker Cousineau knew that a white pit bull mix was supposed to be his dog the moment he saw the canine. He had first seen him on the Humane Society of Midland County's Facebook page. "This dog is deaf. Just like me! I need him—he's my dog," Walker told his mother, Mindy Cousineau. The canine was called, "Puppy" at the shelter and was described as "outgoing, smart, and lovely. Can meet other dogs" in his photo caption. The post also joked that "he's a 9, but he can't hear you snore at night."

Mindy and her husband, Jim Cousineau, traveled 35 miles with Walker to the Bissell Pet Foundation's Empty the Shelters adoption event in Midland on July 31, 2022. "We asked to see the deaf dog they called Puppy, and as soon as they brought him out, we knew there was no going back," said Mindy.

Walker quickly chose a new name for his new friend. Inspired by the line "Hey, Dave, listen up, please!" from the "Despicable Me" movie, he named his dog "Dave." "He thought it would be funny because Dave [the dog] can't listen up," Mindy explained. "We already had two dogs at home, but when we saw Dave plop down into Walker's lap, it was a done deal. It was like Dave was saying, 'This is my person.'"