Elderly gentleman brought to tears by reunion with beloved dogs

Just brilliant!

With Christmas being the time for gift giving and acts of kindness, this video from America may have you reaching for the tissues.

Staff at the First State Animal Center and SPCA in Camden, Delaware felt they needed to act after hearing the story of James Pack who’d seen his beloved dogs, Bailey and Blaze, taken from him.

The unfortunate man’s dogs were brought into care after he’d suffered a massive heart attack and they had to be looked after while he was convalescing.

While James was recuperating the shelter was forced to put the dogs up for adoption because of the length of time that had past. Luckily for the elderly man, who’s a war veteran, his dogs were over looked and still there when he called to the shelter last Wednesday.

There was one big stumbling block for James and that was the mandatory $250 adoption fee the shelter imposed on everyone. He swore to shelter staff that he would come up with the money and begged them not to rehome his dogs with someone else.

If you can’t see the Facebook post, you can view it here.

The very next day the James returned to the shelter to ask staff for a little bit more time to come up with the money, but there was a big surprise waiting for him.

Having been rallied together by the James’ tragic story the shelter staff banded together to pay a reduced adoption fee of $125 for him. They also chipped in to buy James and his dogs gift cards, dog food, leashes and toys.

If you can’t see the Facebook post, you can view it here.

Speaking on the reunion adoption counsellor Lindsay Carrothers told the Huffington Post that it had everyone in “tears”.

“He was so thankful he shot a kiss to God for the blessing,” said Carrothers.

“It had everyone in tears, you could just feel the love those dogs had for him. And there shouldn't have been anything, especially money. That should've stood in his way to getting his family back.”

James for his part is delighted to have his “babies” back and is considering returning to education to become an X-ray technician as his former job as a truck driver is now impossible over his heart condition.