Woman Adopts Dog at Shelter for 7 Years After Discovering Canine's Touching Tie to Her Late Pet

"When Ella first saw Kaitlyn, we think she already knew that this is MY person," the Animal Resource Center in Pennsylvania wrote on Facebook

A series of signs helped unite a Pennsylvania shelter's long-term canine resident and a woman who recently lost her pet.

The Animal Resource Center (ARC) in Bloomsburg shared the touching story in a Facebook post on Friday, calling it an "extremely special adoption" and noting to its followers that they may need to "grab a tissue real quick."

The shelter said that during the week prior, it got an email inquiry from a woman named Kaitlyn, who said she was interested in adopting Ella, a dog who had been at the shelter for seven years and was ARC's "longest resident." Kaitlyn added that her previous dog, Jo, had recently passed away, and she was ready to adopt another canine companion.

The shelter encouraged Kaitlyn to meet Ella at the shelter. When the woman arrived and was put in the same room as the dog, it became clear that the pair was a perfect match.

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"When Ella first saw Kaitlyn, we think she already knew that this is MY person," the shelter wrote, adding that Ella has a history of "fear aggression" and often "needs multiple visits for her to get comfortable" with someone new.

"Not with Kaitlyn, it's like Ella picked HER," the organization added. "She immediately walked over to Kaitlyn with no hesitation, allowing her to give Ella scratches and pets right away."

An additional twist of fate proved to everyone that Kaitlyn and Ella were meant to be together. ARC explained on social media that staff members noticed Kaitlyn getting "teary-eyed" and "looking down" at a bandana on Ella's neck during their meeting. She later explained to the shelter that she recognized the bandana and that it had a special place in her heart.

"She looked up at staff, pulling up a picture of her dog, Jo, wearing a bandana, and said, 'This bandana that Ella is wearing, it's Jo's. I donated them all here when he passed,'" the shelter wrote in its post.

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Of the approximately 20 dogs at their shelter, Ella had been the only one to wear Jo's bandana that day. Kaitlyn reportedly told the shelter staff, "I like to think of it as Jo's stamp of approval" for Ella. Kaitlyn adopted the dog shortly after this first meeting.

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ARC noted that staffers would miss Ella greeting people at the door of her kennel, but overall, they were ecstatic to see the dog finally find a forever home.

"We'll miss that tomorrow, it'll be such a bittersweet moment realizing that as we pause to reflect on a few of our favorite times with Ella- but my goodness the amount of pure happiness we will feel every day knowing Ella finally got what she deserved: ELLA GOT ADOPTED," the shelter concluded its post.

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