by Two kids got a real Christmas surprise after the dog they had thought had been adopted by another family turned out to be theirs! The Northshore Humane Society in Louisiana shared the family’s heartwarming video, and the story behind a dog named Winter (formerly Sawyer).
The Felder family had been fostering Winter for two months after his original family sadly were unable to care for him after they lost their home to Hurricane Laura. Aimee Felder says that she and her husband had decided to officially adopt Winter in the first week he arrived but decided to make the dog’s adoption special for their children, Jude and Riser.
“Winter was placed in our home as a foster back in October,” writes Aimee on the Northshore Humane Society’s Facebook page. “He was surrendered after Hurricane Laura made it difficult for his family to keep him. I was sent the photo before he even made it to the Humane Society and it was my husband that told me to go get him immediately. This breed is not meant to be confined. We were up there within minutes of his arrival.”
Aimee continues, “Within the first week we decided we were going to adopt him but we needed to make it special for my children. It wasn’t until a couple days before Christmas that we set our plan by saying that he was adopted by someone else.
We had actually adopted him a week after we got him. My husband was just playing the part while secretly giggling on the inside that ‘Santa’ pulled a fast one on dear old dad.”
So, Christmas morning, Aimee and her husband hid Winter in the backyard and presented the boys with letters from Santa (or maybe an NHS counselor, according to the rescue).
Northshore Humane Society
The adoption certificate lets the boys know their Christmas wish had come true – Winter was now officially part of their family.
Northshore Humane Society
Needless to say the boys’ reaction is adorable. But Jude’s is especially heartwarming, as he dashes from the room, sees Winter in the backyard, and runs over to give the dog a big hug!
Winter now happily spends hours outside in the family’s yard “as well as hours inside snuggling in one of the three beds next to his favorite humans or lounging on the couch on a nightly basis.” And Aimee adds, “I can promise you this dog is well taken care of. As you can see in the picture, he has wonderful veterinary care!”
Northshore Humane Society is Louisiana’s largest no-kill animal shelter. You can see the pets they have up for adoption on their website.
