Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right family for a shelter dog — but other times, the perfect adopter is right there all along.
That was the case for one rescue dog, who got a very special surprise this Valentine’s Day after being adopted by the vet who cared for him.
Travolta the dog arrived at the Kentucky Humane Society last month in appalling condition. He was brought in by an Uber driver, who found him “limp on the side of the road.”
The dog was filthy, severely underweight and in danger of dying of starvation.
He had sores and maggots on his body, and vets suspected that the 1-year-old dog had been suffering like this for months.
“He is unable to stand at this time and can barely lift his head due to how malnourished he is,” KHS wrote on Facebook.
Racing to save the poor dog’s life, vets gave Travolta round-the-clock care.
Thankfully, Travolta pulled through, and began his long road to recovery thanks to the vets at KHS.
“He is still too weak and malnourished to walk but he has been able to stand for a few seconds at a time as long as we help him,” the Humane Society wrote in an update from January 4.
He received IV fluids and small meals to help him gradually gain weight — and most importantly, “constant love and care from our team.”
As he continued his recovery, Travolta formed an extra-special bond with one of his vets, Dr. Emily Bewley.
“He seems to really enjoy all the attention he’s been getting and has quickly become best friends with Dr. Bewley!” KHS wrote.
About two weeks after Travolta arrived, Dr. Bewley took him to her home for some extra love
“Travolta went home with Dr. Bewley this weekend for some extra TLC and had a great time. He did well with everyone in the house and slept peacefully through the night in the guest bedroom with Dr. Bewley.”
At the time, the Humane Society wrote that the vet loved Travolta, but couldn’t adopt him permanently, as she already had a full house.
But the sweet dog’s love was too powerful to resist. Seeing how real their bond was, Dr. Bewley had a change of heart and decided to adopt Travolta for good!
“Dr. Bewley is directly responsible for saving Travolta’s life after he was found near death on the side of the road by a local Uber driver,” KHS wrote, announcing the news.
“She has spent the last several weeks nursing him back to health and in that time, she has fallen head-over-heels for the scruffy dog.”
It was a true love story — so naturally, the Humane Society decided to make the adoption official on Valentine’s Day!
They shared Travolta’s adoption in a live-streamed ceremony. You can see how far the dog has come in his recovery over the past few weeks, and how much he loves his vet/new owner.
The ceremony even had a special celebrity guest: Ethan, the Kentucky Humane Society’s most famous rescue. Like Travolta, Ethan recovered from appalling, life-threatening conditions after he was found last year — and also got adopted by a KHS employee who fostered him.
Congratulations to Travolta on finding a perfect forever home! It’s incredible to see how far this poor dog has come over the past few weeks.
Thank you to Dr. Bewley for adopting him!
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