Last month, rescuers from Stillwater Animal Welfare (SAW) picked up a pair of dogs found running together through the busy Oklahoma city.
It’s not uncommon for SAW’s welfare officers to save multiple dogs at a time, but they’re used to seeing bonded street pups become more independent after being rescued.
In this case, the team could tell right away that these two had a particularly special relationship.
“They traveled who knows how far,” Ashlie Jerkes, one of SAW’s animal welfare officers, told The Dodo, “but they always stayed together.”
The team welcomed the duo in with open arms and named them Bonnie and Clyde. Even at the shelter, the two refused to leave each other’s side.
“They served their stray hold in the same kennel together, where they seemed pretty close,” Jerkes said.
The two dogs spent the next few days curled up together as they decompressed and received medical care. Despite an ongoing battle with heartworm, Bonnie and Clyde eventually became strong enough to be considered for adoption.
When they were separated briefly on the adoption floor, the two best friends couldn’t wait to reunite again.
“When we gave them outside time, they would just run together,” Jerkes said.
Not long after, Clyde was adopted by a loving family, and Bonnie found herself all alone at the shelter.
The heartbroken girl missed her best friend instantly, and she began to lose hope that her happily-ever-after would come.
One day, a welfare officer snapped a picture of her lying face-down on her cot and posted it to the shelter’s social media in hopes of finding her a family.
“Bonnie is all alone since her bother got adopted,” SAW wrote on Facebook, “and she definitely misses having a sibling to cuddle with.”
Thankfully, their wish came true sooner than expected.
“That was posted on Friday, and someone was in first thing on Monday to adopt her,” Jerkes said.
Bonnie finally found the home of her dreams, and she couldn’t be happier.
“She’s already settling in!” Bonnie’s new mom, Brayden Routh, wrote in a comment on Facebook. “She’s going to have the best life, full of adventures with her blue heeler-mix big sis.”
It’s been a few days since Bonnie’s adoption, but her new family feels as though she’s been with them forever.
And, although she’ll always remember her brother, Clyde dearly, Bonnie is so excited for all the adventures that lie ahead.
