Bruno and Ollie, two German shepherds, both had long journeys as shelter dogs before ultimately getting adopted by their forever parents. Bruno lived at Benton-Franklin Humane Society (BFHS) in Washington state for 280 days, while Ollie lived there for 537.
Bruno was originally adopted from the shelter as a puppy, then surrendered to the same shelter because his dad got too sick to care for him. Ollie, on the other hand, was found tied to the shelter’s front door with another dog. The other dog he was abandoned with got adopted right away, but Ollie remained at the shelter for a year and a half.
Ollie and Bruno were placed in the same playgroup at BFHS. After seeing them play together, it quickly became obvious to the shelter staff that the two got along really well — they had a unique bond.
“They’ve been friends for a while, and they’ve always liked to play together,” Julie Saraceno, a volunteer dog walker at the shelter, told The Dodo.
For many months, Bruno and Ollie were kennel neighbors. Together, they watched as countless people walked right past them and as their other friends in the shelter got to go home with new families.
One day, though, everything changed for Bruno and Ollie. Tana Whelan and her husband, Paul, came in to BFHS fully intending to adopt only one dog. But they ended up loving both Bruno and Ollie. So the couple decided to ask the shelter staff to see Bruno and Ollie play together to see if they could potentially get along.
As soon as they saw Bruno and Ollie together, it was obvious that the two had a special relationship. The couple mulled over their decision — then decided to do something no one expected.
“I was like, ‘Great, we’ll take both,’” Whelan told The Dodo. “[The shelter workers] were shocked. The gal was like, ‘I have chills. I have goosebumps.’”
The shelter’s staff loved Bruno and Ollie so much that one worker even came in on her day off to say goodbye to them. Everyone got so emotional seeing Bruno and Ollie get adopted — not only because they were finally going to their forever homes, but also because they were doing it together.
“It was like, this is what was meant to happen today,” Whelan said. “They both deserve to go home.”
The couple decided to rename the dogs Poncho and Pretzel in honor of Whelan’s previous dogs named Pilot and Panda Bear. It’s only been a few days since Poncho and Pretzel arrived at their new home, but they’re already thriving.
“I think having the two of them has really helped … because they already know each other. I think them having [someone] familiar has been really helpful,” Whelan said.
Whelan emphasized that she hopes Poncho and Pretzel’s story will inspire people to give dogs who’ve been at shelters for a long time a chance.
“I think it’s important that people understand what good dogs are at shelters,” Whelan said. “[Poncho and Pretzel] are really good boys, and there are so many dogs who have been in shelters longer than they have who are just good dogs, [too].”
