At KC Pet Project, every shelter dog is placed in a playgroup, where they can socialize with other resident pups. So when it came time for one of their dogs, Drake, to make friends, staff members curated a playgroup with the perfect blend of personalities to help him come out of his shell.
But they didn’t realize he would develop an immediate affinity for one particular dog in the group.
“Drake made friends quickly with most dogs he met, but when he met Georgia, it was clear there was a special connection,” KC Pet Project's Caity Lothamer told The Dodo.
Drake was instantly drawn to Georgia, a white-and-tan boxer mix, and found it nearly impossible to say goodbye once their play session was over.
“If Georgia was in a different yard, Drake would cry
at the gates until staff reunited them,” Lothamer said. “Even when they were grouped with other dogs, they would mostly play with each other.”
You can watch Drake and Georgia play together here:
The shelter staff could tell that Drake needed a friend when he met Georgia. Drake’s brother, a previous KC Pet Project resident, had already been adopted, and the lonely pup was desperate for companionship. So, the staff allowed Drake and Georgia to spend as much time as possible together, hoping to ease both pups’ anxieties.
It wasn’t until one day, when Drake went on an extended “Dog Day Out” with a staff member, Nate, that they realized just how close the two pups had become.
During his Dog Day Out, Drake was exploring Nate’s property when his leash suddenly broke. The event startled Drake, and he dashed in the opposite direction from Nate’s home, disappearing into a large pasture. And no matter how hard he tried, the worried staff member couldn’t get Drake to come back.
“Nate attempted to recover him, but Drake was too fearful to approach and would run whenever anyone got close,” Lothamer said.
That’s when Nate decided to call his colleagues at the shelter for help.
“After trying several strategies and discussing options with Corrie, our foster coordinator, the idea came up more than once: bring Georgia,” Lothamer said.
An hour later, at around 11 p.m., staff members signed Georgia’s name in the Dog Day Out booklet and loaded her in the car. The group drove 45 minutes to Nate’s home, and when they arrived, they immediately started looking for Drake.
The group searched in the dark for about 30 minutes, when they finally caught sight of Drake. Drake was still skittish and avoided everyone there until he noticed Georgia.
“When Drake saw her, everything changed,” Lothamer said. “He immediately stopped running, turned around and ran straight to her, wiggling and trying to lick her face.”
While Drake was kissing Georgia hello, the shelter staff swiftly secured him so that he couldn’t bolt again. They drove both dogs back to the shelter and decided to place them in the same kennel that evening to decompress.
Georgia went straight to bed as soon as they arrived, but Drake couldn’t shake his anxiety and began pacing around the kennel. And, despite how sleepy she was, Georgia made sure he never felt alone.
“Throughout the night, Georgia kept checking in on him, hopping down to lay with him before returning to the bed,” Lothamer said.
After seeing Georgia’s affection for Drake, the staff members decided to board the two pups together in one of the shelter’s larger suites while they waited to be adopted. Thankfully, it wouldn’t take long for them to find their perfect homes.
A few days later, the couple who had adopted Drake’s brother saw his rescue story on the news and decided to go back for him. And while they sadly couldn’t take Georgia with them, she landed an amazing family the very next day.
“[B]oth dogs have been adopted, separately but happily,” Lothamer said.
You can see both pups with their new families here:
As much as the staff would’ve loved for Drake and Georgia to be adopted together, they are confident that each pup will thrive in their new homes. Once an emotional support for Drake, Georgia now spends her days sleeping alongside her new favorite humans and soaking up all their affection.
And as for Drake, he couldn’t have been more thrilled to see his long-lost brother again.
“The moment the brothers reunited, they remembered each other instantly and have been inseparable ever since,” KC Pet Project wrote on Instagram.
The folks at KC Pet Project are happy to know that both dogs are being loved and cared for in warm, cozy homes like they always deserved. And while they wish the duo could’ve stayed together longer, they’re just grateful to have gotten to witness the pups’ incredible friendship in the first place.
“[I]t was incredibly special to see the role they played in each other’s journeys,” Lothamer said. “Their bond clearly helped both dogs while they were in our care.”
