Couple fell for shelter dog but timing wasn’t right. Then came a heartwarming adoption
A couple fell for a shelter dog and couldn’t stop spending time with him — then came a heartwarming adoption.
Nearly a year after the couple met Ollie, the Virginia pup was still in need of a home. So, the two made the long-awaited decision to give him one.
“This was our most anticipated adoption of the year by far and all of our staff were so happy to finally see Ollie exit our doors for the very last time,” Sydnee Tran, adoption center supervisor for the Lynchburg Humane Society, told McClatchy News in an Aug. 16 email.
The shelter shared the good news after Ollie first arrived in December 2022. He was adopted then returned in September 2023, just before the couple met him.
The two “fell in love” with Ollie early on. But they were college students and wanted to finish school before adopting a pet, according to the animal shelter.
“Ollie was a young adolescent dog with lots of energy and keeping him on hold for an adopter for any length of time just wouldn’t be fair,” Tran wrote. “Our team told them there was little to no chance Ollie would still be at LHS after they graduated, but they continued to come, even if it meant heartbreak for them in the end.”
While Ollie waited at the shelter, the couple spent time with him on weekends through the “petcation” program. The two even included the pup in their couple photo shoot, according to a past social media post.
“Over the year, they came more times than we can count, and when they weren’t there Ollie would impatiently wait for the next outing,” Tran wrote.
Even as workers hoped the college students would adopt Ollie, he struggled in the shelter environment. So, the humane society and the couple agreed to try to get Ollie into another home.
“Well, the universe had other plans because Ollie waited for them,” the shelter wrote Aug. 15 in a Facebook post.
Ollie — described on social media as a “charming” and “affectionate” dog with a “youthful spirit” — finally went home with the couple. A person in a TikTok video can be heard saying it was the “best day ever.”
“They have been the best parents to Ollie and they’ve only ever wanted the best for him,” the shelter wrote. “We are so grateful to our new friends and can’t wait for their forever together!”
Lynchburg is a roughly 55-mile drive east from Roanoke.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Couple fell for shelter dog but timing wasn’t right. Then came a heartwarming adoption."
