Two dogs have found their happy ending after they defied the odds by being adopted together from a rescue.
Golden retriever brothers, Cooper and Tucker, recently found themselves at the Greene County Animal Shelter of Virginia through no fault of their own.
Their devoted owner had died, and while her husband tried to care for the pups on his own, it became too much. He knew, and the shelter agreed, that Cooper and Tucker’s best chance was to surrender them to the rescue to find them the best possible home.
“He wanted them to be adopted together but we couldn’t guarantee that,” shelter worker T Anna Swanson told Newsweek. “I was told, when he found out they were adopted together, he was super happy to hear that as he loved them so much but felt it was best for them.”
While Cooper and Tucker’s story had a happy ending, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. When they first arrived at the shelter, they were “super scared,” Swanson said.
Cooper in particular was “very anxious,” and it was clear to everyone that he “relied on Tucker.” Whenever they were together, he would cuddle up to his brother and rest his head against him.
The shelter was hopeful that the brothers would be adopted together, but as she told Newsweek, “usually families don’t want to bring in two dogs of that size”.
The Greene Counnty Animal Shelter of Virginia/Facebook
Some animals are less likely to be adopted from shelters. As well as two needing to go together, other less adoptable pets are seniors, animals with special needs, and black-colored animals, particularly cats, as some superstitions deem them bad luck, according to Four Paws International.
But Cooper and Tucker got lucky, as a couple who had been planning on adding one golden retriever to their home instantly fell in love with both—and brought them home.
In a sweet post to the shelter’s Facebook page on December 7, which racked up over 1,300 likes, it announced: “Cooper & Tucker have been adopted together!!!!!”
“These two brothers will now get to live happily ever after TOGETHER!!! Many thanks to this amazing family who has been wanting to add a golden retriever to their family and happened to just add two,” it wrote, saying the couple had “felt these two boys needed them and they were there to help.”
Alongside the emotional post was a photo of the two dogs, eagerly sniffing and climbing on their new owners, the Corrigans, both of whom had matching grins on their faces.
The shelter praised the “amazing, dog-loving family” for giving Cooper and Tucker a second chance, and wished the dogs a “happy life, handsome boys.”
Animal lovers descended on the comments and shared their joy and relief that the brothers got to stay together, with one writing “Thank God,” and another saying it “makes my heart happy.”
“I’m so happy I can’t stand it! I’m glad they got to stay together,” one wrote, and as one put it: “Such wonderful news!! Thank you so much for keeping them together and giving them a family to love!”
Swanson told Newsweek: “We are very grateful to the family who opened their home and hearts to them. It melted my heart when I met them and they said they would like to adopt both.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
