As soon as Nehemiah Turner walks into Jacksonville Humane Society’s headquarters, all the animals’ ears perk up. The sixth-grade volunteer stops by regularly to read books to anxious dogs and cats, and everyone eagerly awaits his visits.
But as much as everyone
loves seeing Nehemiah, there was one pup who couldn’t contain his emotions recently.
January, a 2-year-old dog with blonde fur and pointy ears, was already waiting at his kennel door when the middle schooler walked into the shelter. They’d never met before, but as Nehemiah sat down next to the dog’s kennel with a book in hand, January fell instantly in love.
Within seconds of meeting, January began licking the glass door separating him and Nehemiah, as if trying to give the boy kisses. His kisses only intensified as Nehemiah opened his copy of "I Am a Good Dog" by Katherine Applegate and began reading.
Since Nehemiah’s goal is to help the shelter’s residents calm down, he decided not to rile January up by reacting to his kisses. Instead, the young volunteer remained calm and continued reading while trying not to giggle.
“Nehemiah most definitely wanted to laugh!” Joanna McKenzie, Nehemiah’s grandmother, told The Dodo. “He thought it was so funny because even though he has had door kisses before, he hadn't had them in a while.”
For the first few minutes of Nehemiah’s visit, all January could focus on was planting a kiss on his new friend. He tried licking the glass multiple times, then attempted to reach him through the crack beneath the door. Sadly, his tongue couldn’t extend that far, so none of his kisses landed.
Due to the shelter's policy, Nehemiah couldn't interact with January without the door between them. But Nehemiah felt the love nonetheless, and January eventually settled down enough to enjoy her new friend's story.
You can watch their sweet interaction here:
An hour later, Nehemiah closed his book and said goodbye to January. He wished the pup luck with finding a home and promised to read to him again if he was still there the next time around. But when he returned the following week, January was nowhere to be found. Nehemiah’s wish for him had come true.
“January was adopted shortly after that [day],” McKenzie said.
Nehemiah couldn’t have been happier to learn that January had found his forever home. And while the young boy still volunteers regularly, clocking in at over 125 hours of reading to more than 100 dogs, January will always hold a special place in his heart.
It’s not every day that one of the shelter pets tries to kiss Nehemiah through the glass. And knowing that he found a home so soon is simply the icing on the cake.
