For various reasons, roughly 3.9 million dogs end up in shelters across the United States and sadly many of them are euthanized because no one comes forward for adoption.

Keeping in mind that only 5% of senior dogs are finding forever homes yearly from shelters, the story about two German shepherds, Bruno and Ollie, with a very special bond, being adopted by the same family became a true inspiration worldwide.

Bruno and Ollie, two German shepherds, finally found a loving family that has adopted them both

Before finding their forever family, both dogs spent a long time at Benton-Franklin Humane Society (BFHS) in Washington state. And even though Bruno was adopted from the shelter as a puppy, after a while he got back to the same shelter because his owner at the time got too sick to care of him.

Shelter staff placed Ollie and Bruno in the same playgroup at BFHS. Very shortly, they noticed that both German shepherds have a special bond and are getting on very well together.

“They’ve been friends for a while, and they’ve always liked to play together,” shared Julie who works as a volunteer dog walker at the shelter.

Time was passing by, countless people walked by but no one wanted to take the German shepherds home until one day Tana Whelan and her husband, Paul, came in to BFHS searching for a dog for themselves.

The couple was very sure about adopting just one but ended up loving both, Bruno and Ollie.

“I was like, ‘Great, we’ll take both,’” Whelan said. “The shelter workers were shocked. The gal was like, ‘I have chills. I have goosebumps,’” the woman added.

The entire team of the shelter was overwhelmed with such unexpected and beautiful news. Not only because the dogs were finally adopted but because they both will go to the same loving family.

“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 shared and added that it’s really important for people to understand that there are so many good dogs at shelters waiting for someone’s love and care.

The couple decided to rename the dogs Poncho and Pretzel and started sharing their precious moments together on social media.

Both dogs had long journeys as shelter dogs before they were adopted

While adopting a dog from a shelter is still not as popular as buying one from a breeder, it’s truly important to speak about it and spread awareness.

Gosia, who works as a volunteer at O Cantinho da Milu shelter in Setubal, Portugal, mentioned in an interview with Bored Panda that they currently have over 700 abandoned dogs.

“I started volunteering 15 years ago, and O Cantinho da Milu has found new homes for over 3,000 dogs since then but the shelter is still overcrowded,” Gosia said. “Dogs are so gentle, friendly and have lots of love to give, yet people abandon them every single day,” she added.

The woman said that during all these years full of sad stories, there would be also very beautiful ones that are so nice to remember.

“A few years ago, we had Nora, a boxer with cancer and she was only given a few months to live. Fortunately, she was adopted and got a chance to spend her last months in a loving home,” Gosia recalled the memories.

“We also had Maggie, a puppy which was found on the streets and was always hiding in the corner of the kennel. She was so scared that no one could touch her. While most of the people usually prefer to choose more social puppies, there appeared someone who had lots of patience and took her home anyways,” the woman said. “Two years later, Maggie became a completely different dog because all she needed was some extra care and unconditional love. Anytime I see her, I feel so proud,” she added.

Carina Félix from Lisbon, Portugal has two rescues at her home and told Bored Panda that it was the best decision she has ever made.

“I understand that most of the people are looking for something very specific and to have a dog from a breeder is ‘trendy’, yet if they only would give a chance for a shelter, they might be surprised in a very beautiful way,” she said.

The woman started volunteering in some shelters about 10 years ago and currently has a dog daycare in Algarve called Barkzone.

After so many years of working with abandoned dogs, she has noticed that it gives so much joy to them by socializing with others. Therefore, Carina started to bring dogs from the shelter to daycare and it was a remarkable success.

“I was in adoption event with ARA, when I realized that I could try to integrate dogs from the shelter into some of the daycare groups, and have never stop doing this ever since,” the woman recalled the memories.

The couple hopes that their story will inspire more people to give a chance to dogs in shelters

Adopting dogs from shelters not only saves lives but also helps with overcrowding issues there. Yet, according to statistics, on average, only 1 dog out of 10 born will eventually find forever homes, therefore dog adoption awareness becomes more crucial than ever.

Even though adopting a dog is a huge commitment, it’s always worth it, and thanks to such incredibly beautiful examples as Tana and Paul’s story, it shows that the love we give always comes back in the most precious ways.

People on the internet couldn’t hold back their joy about these dogs with a special bond finally finding a loving family