A middle-aged woman in a dark blue jacket interacts with an adult St. Bernard dog on grassy terrain with a white picket fence and bare trees, suggesting late autumn or winter. 8:00
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A 130-pound St. Bernard finds his first home

Cosmo is a 130-pound Saint Bernard, and as far as anyone knows, he has never lived in a house. more

A breeder left him at Hearts United for Animals, a shelter in Nebraska, and gave no reason. Cosmo was confused by the new place but friendly with the staff, and he soon became one of their favorites. They put his profile on a pet adoption site.

Hundreds of miles away in upstate New York, Jayne's husband Geoff likes to look at dogs online. There was Cosmo, gazing up at the camera like he was asking to go home with them. Jayne fell for that huge brown and white face. She would fly to Nebraska, rent a car and drive back with a 130-pound dog, and she was pretty sure most of the world would think she was crazy.

At the shelter, Jayne is so nervous she keeps dropping things. A staff member tells Cosmo, "I'm gonna miss you, little buddy." Then he's in front of Jayne, and for a while all she can say is hi. The shelter worker tears up later, sad to see him go and glad that he's going.

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At the shelter, the goodbye is happy and sad at once.

"I don't know if Cosmo has any understanding of what's happening," Jayne says, "but I think he's figured out that there's a human here who wants to give him some love." He doesn't know how to sit yet. They'll work on that.

The next morning brings the long drive and Cosmo's first car ride. He's terrified of getting in, and it takes a harness, a leash and three people. Once he settles, he naps in the back seat for most of the trip. At the house, Poppy, one of the family dogs, is thrilled to meet him, while Cosmo looks a little shell-shocked.

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After the long drive, Cosmo arrives at his new home, where the family dogs are waiting.

Home means two kids, two dogs and some giant rabbits, which Jayne calls the Saint Bernards of the rabbit world. Grendel, the old dog, is deaf, friendly to everyone and happy to just chill out. Cosmo puts his belly on the cool floor and keeps trying to fit into spaces that aren't Saint Bernard sized. At first he doesn't even seem to understand treats.

Then come the kids, coached to go slowly and let him sniff them first. Cosmo has never been close to people, Jayne says, but anyone can tell he loves the children. He likes Ellis right away, and when the kids pet him he all but melts. His new dad gets a welcome too, along with a good coat of drool.

A middle-aged woman in a dark blue jacket interacts with an adult St. Bernard dog on grassy terrain with a white picket fence and bare trees, suggesting late autumn or winter. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Cosmo is a 130-pound Saint Bernard, and as far as anyone knows, he has never lived in a house.

By his fourth day, Cosmo is finally playing with his new sister, and he can get into the car all by himself. A week in, he and the couch are at the start of a beautiful friendship. He watches the rabbits like it is bunny TV. He and Poppy are best friends now, and she wrestles him while he stands still and wrestles back.

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By day four, Cosmo plays with the family dog and gets into the car by himself.

He still hasn't figured out the stairs. Whenever Jayne comes down in the morning he gets so excited, and all he wants is their special morning snuggle. Family walks bring two more firsts, as far as anyone can guess. He plays in a lake, which is like a giant water bowl, and he runs free in the woods.

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