Alan Moncayo, his daughter and dog Jihoo.Photo:Fairfax County Animal Shelter
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
An animal shelter employee’s lunch order led to an incredibly happy ending for one patient rescue dog.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, Grubhub driver Alan Moncayo delivered lunch to a manager at theFairfax County Animal Shelter’s Lorton, Virginia, campus.
When he walked in Moncayo saw a dog in the front window staring right at him.
“It was love at first sight,” Moncayo, 51, tells PEOPLE. “He looked at me, and I looked back at him.”
Because it was a weekend, the single dad had his 5-year-old daughter, Sabrina, with him.
“My daughter’s been asking me for a puppy for the longest time,” Moncayo says. “She wanted a dog so bad.”
He asked if he could meet Jihoo, the 65-lb. black-and-white pit bull mix he saw in the window.
He and his daughter played catch with the dog. “It was amazing,” Moncayo says. “We hit it off with him right from the very beginning.”
Alan Moncayo and Jihoo.Courtesy Alan Moncayo
Courtesy Alan Moncayo
The average length of stay for dogs at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter is 24 days. Jihoo had been at the shelter for 240 days since his owners surrendered him.
Celebrating Super Bowl weekend, the shelter happened to be having anAdoption Bowl" eventfor large dogs, waiving all adoption fees for pups over 45 lbs.
Thanks to the lunch delivery leading to this chance encounter, Jihoo was one of 20 dogs adopted over that weekend.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Moncayo was thrilled that the shelter not only waived the adoption fee, but also sent him home with a brand new dog crate, leash, toys and food.
“He’s so gentle, loving,” Moncayo says of his new pet. “He fits so perfectly in our family. We love him so much, it’s such a blessing to our hearts.”
source: people.com
