Woman Asks to Adopt Two Shelter Dogs That “Have Been Here the Longest, with the Most Special Needs”

Meghan Overdeep

Animal shelter workers dream about days when people like Leslie Sacks walk through their doors.

For the Asheville Humane Society in North Carolina, July 24th was that day.

That’s when Sacks arrived and said the words the staff there won’t soon forget. "Which two dogs have been here the longest, with the most special needs?” she asked. “I'm here to take them both home with me."

Shocked volunteers introduced her to Sam (a senior female with extensive medical issues who had been adopted then returned) and Brutus (a 13-year-old owner surrender with severe separation anxiety).

“We vowed to find these two amazing dogs their second chance, no matter how long it took, and TODAY was their special day TOGETHER!” Asheville Humane Society wrote alongside a now-viral adoption video on Facebook (below). “Leslie has a three-story house and two acres of fenced-in yard where Sam and Brutus will spend their golden years.

Though Sam and Brutus were Sacks' first adoptions from the Asheville Humane Society, Meredith Pitcairn, the center's communications and digital fundraising manager, told Today that she has been adopting senior animals for most of her life. According to Pitcairn, Sacks has provided a home for between 40 and 50 senior dogs to live out their last years.

"Sometimes we'll have the occasional person who has a huge heart, and is like 'You know, I just want to take home whoever has been here the longest,'" Pitcairn explained to Today. "But this is the first time I've ever heard of someone saying, 'Give me your two dogs who have been here the longest with special needs.' We were all just in shock. It was incredible. It was probably one of the best days we've had in a long time."'

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But that’s not where this story ends. Over the weekend, Sacks returned to the shelter to adopt another dog, a 13-year-old Schnauzer mix named Lily.

"They have done so well," said Pitcairn. "She said that they're best friends and they hang out all the time. They snuggle, they eat together. It actually worked out perfectly that they have become the best of friends."