A pic of a two-year-old beagle in Ohio, who was rescued just two days before he was scheduled to be euthanized, has gone viral. The rescuers are Schenley and Joe Kirk who co-founded the non-profit, Hound Rescue and Sanctuary.
The priceless puppy photo—captioned “The BEST Freedom Ride Picture EVER!”—was posted on Facebook by Schenley and has been shared more than 8,000 times. It shows the the beagle, Gregory, with Joe Kirk on the ride home from the shelter.
Check it out:
“Thankful” shelter dog saved from euthanasia snuggles rescuer during car ride home https://t.co/fJDMo4LOUD
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) May 8, 2018
Gregory was brought to Franklin County Dog Shelter in Columbus in late April when he was found as a stray. At first, he was thought to be healthy, but upon closer inspection it was discovered that he had heartworms—that’s why he was on the euthanasia list.
But lucky for Gregory, Schenley saw him during one of her routine shelter checks and knew she had to save him.
The story made Twitter all mushy inside:
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
— Lacey Bonner (@laceybonner) May 8, 2018
Couldn’t be more precious ❤️
— E65 (@fluffy3008) May 9, 2018
Awwww. Adorable! Beautiful story.
— Glorissa Joglar (@glorissa_joglar) May 8, 2018
Joe Kirk drove two hours to pick up Gregory from the shelter. Although the two were technically strangers, Kirk told TODAY that it felt like they’d “known each other for years.” Forgoing the usual travel crate, Kirk snapped the pics of him with the beaming beagle on the ride home while stopped at a traffic light. He told his wife that all the dog wanted to do was snuggle up close to him during the drive.
Commenters were grateful to the Kirk’s for Gregory’s rescue:
Gregory is precious! Thank you for rescuing him!
— Donna Ford (@DoveHat) May 9, 2018
God Bless you both!!!!
— mmurrow (@mmsogood) May 9, 2018
You are a good man.
— Carolyn Monday (@lynmonday) May 8, 2018
Some Twitterers shared their own similar stories:
My sweet girl was on her last day before being euthanized when a no-kill shelter group swept in & rescued her. They transported her to St. Louis, where we saw her on t.v. & fell in love at first sight. Sweetest, kindest, polite, most loving dog ever. pic.twitter.com/OubuT32tNi
— Lee (@IamLHut) May 8, 2018
They know ❤ Ours was a senior boy scheduled to be put down the day we adopted him. He got off the transport van, ran to us and kissed us and jumped in our car. Like we had him forever from the start
— ShefaniShines (@SusanTFor) May 8, 2018
Thank you for saving him.we have a shelter doggie also,that loves us to death.she is part jack Russell so keeps us old folks on our toes.god bless you an doggie
— Nancy Turco (@3338c5f1480a41a) May 8, 2018
Of their the work they do, Schenley said:
That is why we do what we do. That is what makes it all worthwhile, knowing that we are able to save the lives of these dogs in need. And their appreciation and the love they give back is amazing. There’s nothing better.
Twitterer, Carla Kramer, expressed how grateful rescue dogs can be:
If you want to know what true love is rescue a dog. You can not imagine the love and loyalty these family members give back,sometimes more than your own children
— Carla kramer (@Carlakr79456016) May 8, 2018
As for Gregory, he is currently being treated for his heartworms and already has a family interested in adopting him permanently once he gets a clean bill of health.
If you’d like to help support rescue dogs in finding good homes, check out the Kirk’s non-profit Hound Rescue and Sanctuary. Also: Saving Great Animals, a non-profit rescue organization that has helped 7,000 dogs find homes since 2007.
