The word "sadorable," a mashup of "sad" and "adorable," is the best description of a photo shared on the Angels Among Us Pet Rescue Facebook page on July 20. The image shows brown hound mix Kala with her front legs wrapped around black-and-white lab mix Keira in a very humanlike embrace.
Kala and Keira were on doggie death row with hours left to go. Angels Among Us, located in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, sent out a plea saying, "Today is their last day unless we can save them. This is as urgent as urgent can get." With no foster home available, the situation was dire. The rescue organization urged a new person to step up and try fostering.
PLEASE NOTE: THESE PUPS ARE SAFE AND IN ANGELS' CARE IN A FOSTER HOME. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ADOPTED. To Adopt Kala or...
Posted by Angels Among Us Pet Rescue on Monday, July 20, 2015
A combination of the sweet photo and a heart-tugging first-person missive written from the dog's perspective combined to send the photo into Facebook viral overdrive. It didn't take long for real action to appear out of the online shares.
"Exactly 2 hours and 6 minutes. That's how long it took this amazing community of animals lovers to come together to save the lives of two canine friends," Angels Among Us posted in an update to the original photo. A foster volunteer drove to the shelter and picked up both dogs. They greeted their rescuer with thrilled licks.
Kala and Keira were seen by a vet and are now available for adoption. Their shared Internet stardom will no doubt generate a considerable amount of interest in providing them with new permanent homes. The original Facebook post pulled in over 15,000 shares, nearly 30,000 likes and over 4,700 comments.
The two pups were fortunate to find Facebook fame, though it's also a reminder of how many dogs and cats and other critters go unclaimed from shelters. At least we can take a moment to appreciate how a single social-media image can become a life-saving experience.
(Via USA Today)