It was a memorable day for the staff of North Carolina’s Asheville Humane Society when a woman visited the center and took two senior dogs for adoption.
Leslie walked through their front doors asking which two dogs have been there the longest and with the most special needs.
Meredith Pitcairn
“I’m here to take them both home with me,” when Leslie said these words, the shelter workers were in awe but were excited to assist the woman.
According to Meredith Pitcairn, the Asheville Humane Society communications and digital fundraising manager, the two lucky dogs were Samantha and Brutus.
“We introduced Leslie to Sam (who had extensive medical issues, was with us for 6 months, adopted then returned) and Brutus (who has severe separation anxiety, was with us for 5 months and was originally surrendered to be euthanized at 13 years old),” the shelter wrote on Facebook.
Meredith Pitcairn
Samantha, who is also called Sam has a serious skin condition that led to skin masses and missing hair.
This condition required Sam to have a specialized diet and continuous medical care. She was adopted before but didn’t get along with the other dog that the adopters own.
On the one hand, numerous foster families tried to take care of him but he developed separation anxiety and was sent back to the shelter.
Meredith Pitcairn
“One of our staff members let him have a little vacation in her office so he would have someone to be around instead of being in his kennel,” Pitcairn said.
She had a hankering for something out of the vending machine, so she took it with her – and that’s when Leslie walked in the door!
The heartwarming adoption was captured on video and shared on the Facebook page of Asheville Humane Society. “It’s so important to adopt the older pets,” Leslie said in the video.
She also added that she is glad to give them a home and be with them for the last few years of their life.
Meredith Pitcairn
The shelter workers also found out that Leslie has adopted a lot of pets before. “She told us that several years ago; she went to another shelter and adopted their five hardest-to-adopt dogs, said the shelter’s marketing manager, Heather Hayes.
“So she kind of adopts them in groups and then recently she said she lost seven of her senior animals. They’re not with her for very long, but they have a wonderful life while they are with her. She decided that she could open her home again to two animals that need a second chance.”
After taking the two senior dogs, Leslie came back to the shelter and took home another dog for adoption. The dog was Lily, a 13-year old Schnauzer mix.
Hayes has worked at the shelter for seven years and since she’s been there, it has been the most heartwarming adoption she witnessed.
She said, “The summer months are so stressful for our staff because we have so many animals coming in … something like this happening, especially this time of year, really gave all of us a boost that there are good people out there. We saw two of our hardest-to-adopt animals go home and that was just a perfect time.”
Meredith Pitcairn
The three dogs have been adapting well to their new home since their adoption. They also enjoy the two-acre fenced-in yard where they often play together.
At first, Samantha thought Brutus would not get along with Samantha and Lily but she was so surprised to see them bonded so well.
This surprising adoption has warmed a lot of hearts and the shelter hopes there will be more people like Leslie who has a pure love for animals, regardless of their condition.
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