When Amber Rodriguez and her 13-year-old daughter decided to run errands one recent Saturday morning, they had no idea their lives would be changed forever. The day was going according to plan until, while walking out of a department store, they noticed an outdoor adoption event at a pet supplies store across the street.
The mother-daughter duo crossed the street just to look and daydream about owning a pet — something they weren’t quite ready for yet. But as they neared the row of crates, Rodriguez’s daughter felt instantly pulled to one particular soul.
“[She] ran straight over to a kennel on the end with an older dog,” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. “She had no interest in the puppies and all the other cute dogs there. It was like a magnet pulled her to this dog.”
Inside the crate, a large, fluffy senior dog sat quietly. The pup, named Bruno, seemed melancholy and almost shut-down — until Rodriguez’s daughter showed up.
“He was so sweet. He would lift up his paw, kiss and just had this sweet old soul vibe to him,” Rodriguez wrote. “[I] honestly haven’t met any dog like him before.”
Rodriguez’s daughter spent the next few minutes alongside Bruno’s crate, the two leaning on each other through the bars. When they eventually had to leave, the young teen couldn’t stop thinking about her new best friend.
“After we left the adoption event the first time, my daughter kept talking about him, and it was at that point that I realized I couldn’t stop thinking about their connection either, and how special he was, and how we could make it work,” Rodriguez told The Dodo.
Rodriguez and her daughter returned to the adoption event not long after, this time asking to hang out with Bruno outside his crate. The girl took him for a walk and showered him with hugs and kisses, and Bruno couldn’t have been happier.
Rodriguez immediately called her husband, who soon arrived with the rest of the family. Just like her daughter, every other family member instantly fell for Bruno.
“It took less than a minute, and everyone was in love,” Rodriguez wrote.
You can watch that moment here:
The Rodriguezes soon signed Bruno’s adoption papers and happily drove home with a new beloved family member in tow. As excited as they were to welcome him home, no one was more pleased than Bruno. After years of being surrendered to shelters and shuffled between foster homes, the sweet boy was thrilled to have a house and family of his own.
“He was snuggling the kids and snoring like a baby that first night,” Rodriguez said. “After a couple days, I think he was more comfortable and starting to be more himself.”
You can see Bruno cuddling with his sister here:
As the days passed, Bruno’s bubbly and loving personality blossomed. While it took him a few weeks to finally play with toys, there was one thing that came as second nature to him: his love for Rodriguez’s daughter. When he’s not following her around the house, Bruno can usually be found curled up next to his new best friend, enjoying the relaxing dog music she plays for him every time.
“The bond these two have built in less than a week being together is truly an incredible story!” Rodriguez wrote on Instagram. “I have felt so blessed witnessing it.”
It’s been three and a half weeks since Bruno arrived home, but the Rodriguezes feel like they’ve known him forever. While they may not have planned to adopt a dog that Saturday morning, they’re beyond grateful to have found the sweet boy after all.
“It feels like he was always meant to be with us,” Rodriguez said.
