In a long line of kennels at Connor and Millie’s Dog Rescue (CMDR), a small 2-pound dog named Lori lay shaking in a deep depression. No one knew what the young dog had been through, but the answer could be found across town at a different rescue organization.
Lori was missing her brother, Jerry.
Lori was posted on the transfer list at a local shelter as needing rescue. CMDR swooped in to aid the 2-year-old terrier mix, then found her a foster home while she awaited adoption.
“After we picked up Lori, my admin was informed she had a littermate/housemate (we never separate), but that another rescue had accepted him,” Linda Gilliam, president of CMDR, told The Dodo. “As a rule, the shelter will never disclose which rescue accepts what dog, so we did not immediately know who had Jerry.”
Over a week later, a miracle happened. Gilliam discovered Jerry’s whereabouts and made contact with A Home 4 Spot (AH4S) rescue owner Diana Englund to reunite the siblings.
When Lori and Jerry saw each other again, it was a moment no one will soon forget.
“Jerry was in heaven, [and] Lori was a little shy, which is her nature,” Gilliam said. “Jerry is more dependent on her.”
With the two dogs reunited, Gilliam wanted to be sure they wouldn’t be separated again.
“We approached the adopter asking if they would consider adopting her brother as he was despondent without her and it would be at no additional cost,” Gilliam said. “She agreed. They are doing really well and settled in nicely.”
Both Lori and Jerry have noticeably improved since reuniting. And, while this specific type of happy ending was much appreciated, it’s also incredibly rare.
“The odds of this happening are just unreal,” Gilliam said. “I know a lot of the fosters [and rescues], and we work together for the dogs. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”