There are so many kindhearted people volunteering with shelters, caring for animals like their own pets while they wait for their forever homes.
But sometimes they form a real bond with these animals and just know they’re the one. That was the case for one young woman and her favorite shelter dog, and the Christmas surprise that brought them closer together.
In 2018, Hallee Fuqua was a college student who had always wanted a dog. But her parents always said no, saying she should wait until she graduated.
But with no dog of her own, Hallee decided to spend her time volunteering at the local Humane Society in Stillwell, Oklahoma during her college break.
Spending time with the shelter dogs, she fell in love with one in particular: a Plott Hound and Mountain Cur mix named Rambo.
“She would come in and just sit with him,” shelter director Jackie Ross-Guerrero told ABC News. “They connected from day one.”
But in December,, she was “broken” to find out on social media that Rambo had been adopted from the shelter.
Days later, Christmas arrived, and it turned out her parents had planned a very special gift for her…
…they adopted Rambo!
Her parents coordinated with the shelter to plan the surprise and keep everything top secret.
“My wife and I decided to secretly adopt him 3 weeks ago. With the help from the Humane Society we kept it a secret,” Hallee’s father Lance wrote on Facebook.
The shelter told ABC News that this isn’t something they normally do, but they made an exception. And it was worth it, because Hallee’s reaction is priceless when she sees her dog on Christmas morning:
You can tell this is a true friendship, and we can’t think of a better home for Rambo. Share this heartwarming story!