When two 6-year-old pit bulls were surrendered to the Hillsborough County Shelter in Tampa, Florida, no one had any idea this routine situation would capture the attention of so many people, including actor, Dave Bautista.
The unfortunate dogs, named Maggie and Ollie, were dumped at the shelter because their owners had a new baby. The pair had been together since they were tiny puppies and were very bonded. Despite this, the shelter separated the dogs and housed them separately.
Fortunately for the dogs, Rescue Me Tampa, a group of volunteers who helps find homes for shelter dogs took notice of the two pit bulls and shared them on their Facebook page. They explained how the bonded pair had grown up together and now were sadly separated. The post read:
“They have no idea what they did to deserve this,” the poster said. “It just breaks my heart. They lived their whole life together!!! ... Please consider adopting these 2 together. They just lost everything they knew and loved."
The post quickly became one of the most popular posts on the rescue page and was shared over 2,000 times. Comments on the page revealed that many people were heartbroken over the situation with the dogs, some were enraged, and nearly everyone hoped and prayed the dogs would be adopted together.
Amazingly, one week later, people got their wish. The update said that someone had permanently adopted both dogs, and “they hit the DOGGIE LOTTERY!!!”
“Look at Maggie and Ollie they were surrendered to the shelter because their owner had a baby, they were SEPARATED from one another at the Pet Resource Center even though they were BONDED!! A group of followers wasn't having it and the PITBULL MAFIA sprung them TOGETHER!!!! These 2 were just PERMANENTLY ADOPTED, not by just anyone, they hit the DOGGIE LOTTERY!!! Their new Daddy is actor/wrestler Dave Bautista. HAPPY TAILS MAGGIE AND OLLIE.”
Dave Bautista, Marvel star, popular actor, WWE wrestling champion, dog lover, owner of 3 pit bull tattoos, and promoter of Frankie’s Friends, an organization that helps provide veterinary care for people who can’t afford it, had adopted the lucky pups!
Actor Kumail Nanjiani, who starred with Bautista in Stuber, shared Bautista’s love of dogs in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times last year. He said,
“He really loves his dogs, man,” Nanjiani said. “There are some parts where we were shooting with a dog in a car, and the dog would get overheated and he was just so attuned to it. Dave would be like, ‘We can’t shoot! We have to cool him down!’ and we’d be like, ‘Dave, we’re losing daylight,’ and Dave would be like, ‘But he’s all panting!’ and so we’d be like, ‘Okay, Dave, we’ll take a break so the dog can get a bit of rest.’ And then we’d shoot some stuff without the dog, and then the dog would come back, and Dave would get all excited.”
Certainly these two sweet dogs did hit the doggie lottery and will be spoiled and well loved for many years. Please share this heartwarming story with your family and friends!
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