An Oklahoma college student who had formed a special connection with a dog at the local animal shelter where she volunteered was heartbroken when she realized the pet had been adopted.
Until she found out it was her parents who had adopted him.
“I was happy, but at the same time I was really upset because I didn’t get to keep him,” Hallee Fuqua told Global News.
“After talking to my parents, they assured me that he had a good home for Christmas.”
Two-year-old Rambo is now settling in to his new home in Seiling, Okla.
Fuqua said on Saturday that the Plott Hound mix is already “ruling the house,” just a week after her parents brought him home.
The emotional reunion between Fuqua and Rambo was caught on video. It shows the dog run towards the 20-year-old, tail wagging, as she sits down to embrace him.
Fuqua is sobbing as she asks: “Is he mine?”
“When they surprised me, it was just a whole wave of emotion,” she told Global News. “I was so happy.”
Fuqua’s father, Lance, said they’d asked the humane society to continue to care for the animal until his daughter returned from college in Stillwater, Okla.
Staff at the adoption centre told the family they didn’t usually hold animals but that they’d make an exception for Fuqua since she’d “already bonded” with Rambo.
He said Fuqua had been sending videos of Rambo to her parents and that one morning his wife decided the dog should be part of the family.
Fuqua said Rambo can appear intimidating, but he’s actually very affectionate.
“He thinks he’s a lap dog so he’s always wanting to be cuddled and loved,” her dad added.
Fuqua told Global News when she returns to school after the Christmas break she’ll have to leave Rambo with her parents because the place she’s living is not pet-friendly.
But she said that as soon as the lease is up, she’ll be looking for a home they can share.
The 20-year-old said she’ll continue to volunteer at the shelter as well, even though Rambo is at home with her.
The family is asking for animal lovers to make a donation to the Humane Society of Stillwater.