Initially, her connection with her dog hadn’t been unusual, but as the pair grew closer and closer and closer, odd things began to happen. Puzzled, the husband observed his wife’s dog following her into the bathroom. He decided to solve the mystery on his own. Hearing the door click shut, he opened up the security app he’d installed on his phone. He was in no way prepared for the discovery that would change their marriage forever.
Now, David Knock had easily given in to his wife, Katie, when she asked if they could get a dog. His long work days at the office meant she was often alone, working from home. He thought that a dog could provide her with companionship while he was away. Only recently married, the 29-year-old couple weren’t ready to be parents yet, but their Atlanta, Georgia home was a bit empty, and a pet might fill that space. Katie named her new sidekick Bailey. He was a 1-year-old Australian shepherd, and they had a connection straight away. He was loyal and clever, and they quickly became a package deal.
David was happy that Katie had someone to be with her while he worked late hours, and seeing her delight brought him joy. But he felt unsettled when he realized his wife was never without her new dog. He wondered if he was jealous of a dog. David, an accounting consultant, was a hard worker, committed to working as many hours as necessary to give Katie her dream life. He loved her dearly, and his favorite part of the day was seeing her when he got home.
Katie loved David just as much. She made him dinner every night, and they spent all the time they could together. But he never had any clue what she got up to while he was still at work. After several months of hard work, David was rewarded with a promotion that transferred him to a consulting team with more manpower, meaning he could work fewer hours and get home earlier. He was looking forward to sharing the news with her and celebrating together, hoping to surprise her by arriving early. However, he couldn’t have predicted the results of messing with Katie’s routine.
David came in the front door stealthily, hoping to catch Katie by surprise. Hopefully, Bailey didn’t ruin his plans by running to greet him. But it seemed like no one was home. So, where was she then? David heard the shower running. He relaxed, kicking himself for forgetting to check in the bathroom. She hadn’t vanished; she was just showering. However, as he closed in on the bathroom, he heard a voice. It was Katie, but he couldn’t make out the words under the sound of the shower. Who could she be talking to? He stepped closer to listen again, but all he heard was the spray of water. When he waited until it stopped, then called out, “Honey, I’m home.” In response, there was a sudden crash, then something that sounded like a whine. “You all right?” he asked. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute,” she called back, sounding weak.
She walked out of the bathroom with Bailey at her side, looking shaken. Had he shocked her that badly? “Why are you home so early?” Katie asked, and David shared the news of his promotion. Her lackluster response and timid smile threw him off. He kept thinking about the voice he had heard. His curiosity won out as he asked Katie if she was talking to someone in the bathroom. She briefly met his eyes before looking away in a hurry. “That’s only to Bailey,” she claimed. David looked at her with doubt. “He keeps me safe when I’m on my own,” she added, concerned that his wife wasn’t feeling secure in her own home.
David made the decision to take action. But his sincere efforts to keep her safe would only lead to more questions. As David processed his wife’s unease, he wondered why she hadn’t mentioned it to him before. He kept thinking about it, trying to figure out what she thought Bailey could do to protect her while she was in the shower. If she wanted him to guard her, why was she closing him inside the bathroom with her?
The first days of David’s new job passed slowly as he got used to the new routine of getting home earlier. It wasn’t made easier by the fact that Katie was still taking Bailey into the bathroom with her, even though David was at home. He still regularly heard her voice while she was in the shower. She maintained that it was just Bailey. But as she seemed to pull further away from him, doubt crept deeper into his mind.
David also picked up on changes in Katie’s usual behavior. She seemed preoccupied and anxious, forgetting to do simple tasks like paying bills or buying groceries. And after seeing this one too many times, David decided it was time to upgrade their home security. He purchased a doorbell camera, which would not only record footage of anyone who approached it but would also notify them if the front door was opened. He hoped that this precaution would help Katie feel safer, knowing that she could monitor any unwelcome visitors.
In the end, it only caused him more concern and confusion. While he was at work the very next day, David received an alert on his phone that the front door had been opened. He checked the camera to see Katie heading out with Bailey on his leash. He relaxed, assuming she was just taking the dog for a walk. It was hours before he got another notification announcing a return. That first day, he assumed she had just been running some errands. But when it started happening regularly, he got uneasy. Where was she going for so long in the middle of her workday?
Unwilling to sit around and be made a fool of, David decided to confront Katie that evening. While he waited until she emerged from the bathroom, Bailey was at her side as always. “Who were you talking to in there?” he demanded. Katie sat down sheepishly on their bed before responding, “Haven’t we been over this? It’s just Bailey.” Her tone was growing irritated. David found her defensiveness suspicious, and that was when he realized that his wife’s silence wasn’t avoidance; it was her growing anger. “Oh, you’re monitoring me now?” she spat at him. David couldn’t believe that he was the one getting yelled at when she was the one acting suspiciously.
David stormed out of the bedroom, his feelings hurt. His pain fueled him to find out once and for all what she was hiding in the bathroom. But would his suspicions be correct? David slept on the couch that night and left for work the next morning without a word to his wife. But as he sat through his meetings, his mind wandering, he came up with a plan. On his way home, he stopped by the security store and bought a small surveillance camera that could be hidden easily. He would hide it in the bathroom and see and hear what Katie was really doing in there.
That night, after Katie was asleep, he placed it in the bathroom. He would have the perfect view of it all, and he’d be able to hear everything she was saying, even with the water running. The next evening, he watched anxiously as Katie and Bailey made their way into the bathroom. The couple still hadn’t broken their uneasy silence as they disappeared behind the door.
David opened the surveillance app connected to the camera. His hand shook as he held the small screen, watching his life change before his eyes. The live feed initially revealed nothing unusual. Katie placed her phone down on the counter and got in the shower. Bailey had settled close by. But suddenly, he approached the shower and whined. Katie’s voice came, “Towel, Bailey,” and the clever dog brought her a towel. David watched as his wife sat on the floor next to the shower while Bailey grabbed something off the counter, right where Katie had placed her phone.
Was she about to call someone? He was caught off guard when he recognized the item. It was an orange pill bottle. “Good boy, Bailey. Can you get my water?” the loyal dog obediently followed her command. David watched Bailey lay down on Katie’s legs as she took a pill, her body tense. He recognized the anxiety he had attributed to her fears regarding her safety. He realized that she had been telling the truth, but it was a different kind of safety that Bailey brought her.
David now understood that his suspicions had been completely wrong. He was overcome with guilt at suspecting her of infidelity when she was clearly suffering through something alone. But his jealousy had quickly transformed into concern for his wife, and his guilt was put on the back burner. Was she unwell? Was it serious? Why was she hiding it from him?
The worried husband waited impatiently for Katie to emerge from the bathroom. David shot up to support his unsteady wife. He knew that she would be able to tell that he had figured something out. She knew him better than anyone, but he still only had a fraction of the whole story. He carefully led her to the bed, where they sat down together, hand in hand. He waited patiently for her to say something.
“I have a chronic illness,” she admitted. “Bailey is my service dog. He keeps me safe. That’s why he’s always with me.” David took a deep, shaky breath. He had been jealous of an animal that was actively helping his wife. “It’s called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome,” Katie continued. “Like my heart rate goes crazy when I go from sitting or lying down to standing up or if I stay standing for too long. Then I could faint. Bailey can tell when my heart rate increases.”
She revealed that her long trips out of the house were usually for doctor’s appointments or sometimes for extra service dog training with Bailey. She had been hiding it from David because she didn’t want him to worry while he worked so hard. David’s guilt and concern overshadowed any anger he had felt towards her. He promised her that she was his priority and that he would always be there to support her.
He decreased his hours at work and attended every doctor’s appointment with her, researching her condition so he could recognize every sign and symptom. He came to understand Bailey’s role better, and the two quickly formed a bond based on their love for Katie. David was grateful that his wife had Bailey when he couldn’t be there for her, and the dog always seemed to get extra treats when David came home.
