Sometimes in life, some things can just make you smile. This is one of those times. In this story, two dogs became separated from their owner after he fell ill, and he was feeling hopeless and dejected about it all. He missed his furry companions but couldn’t get them back himself. It was then that the elderly man encountered kindness that was extended to him from strangers, and things took an amazingly positive turn for him.
A veteran named James Pack, from Delaware, suffered a heart attack in September 2015 and was hospitalized. His two dogs, Bailey and Blaze, had no one to care for them, so the First State Animal Center and SPCA took them in until he was able to care for them. However, his hospital stay became lengthy, and his dogs had to be put up for adoption, as the shelter could no longer care for them.
When he was finally released from the hospital on Dec. 16, 2015, he quickly went to the animal shelter, which was located inside a PetSmart store, and to his great relief, he discovered his beloved pets, which were still up for adoption, had not been adopted while he was away at the hospital. They were overjoyed to see him. But there was one snag, however. The shelter wanted $250 for him to “adopt” his dogs back. He didn’t have enough money to cover it, so sadly, he had to leave them behind, determined to return when he found the funds.
However, that night, one of the former staffers, named Melissa Eagle, came up with an idea to help the elderly gentleman out. She called some volunteers and eventually one volunteer, named Chris Malec, offered to pay the reduced adoption fee amount, while other sympathetic volunteers contributed to buying food, other supplies, and some toys.
Then when Pack returned the next day to tell them that he needed more time to collect the money, as he didn’t have enough as yet and was trying to arrange for the funds, they told him that it wasn’t needed and the dogs were his.
He starts tearing up, and says: “This is so unbelievable, thank you.”
“He was so thankful he shot a kiss to God for the blessing,” Lindsay said.
When this registers with the man, he becomes overwhelmed with emotion and tells the man waiting in line behind him that he’s getting his dogs back.
Bailey and Blaze seem to know their owner is in the store, and they can be heard barking in the background. Perhaps they can sense they’re finally able to return home.
Alluding to the heartwarming moment, Lindsay said: “It had everyone in tears.”
She further added: “You could just feel the love those dogs had for him. And there shouldn’t have been anything, especially money. that should’ve stood in his way to getting his family back.”
This was such a selfless act on behalf of the staff.
However, it didn’t stop at just that. On Dec. 22, 2015, James, Melissa, and Lindsay, along with Bailey and Blaze, appeared on an episode of Fox & Friends to share this heartwarming story with their viewers.
