A dog’s loyalty knows no boundaries, especially when it comes to its own blood. Two stray dogs found in Philadelphia are providing a heartwarming example of this. The Chester County SPCA posted a photo of the dogs, Jeffrey and his brother Jermaine, embracing each other while sleeping.
The photo itself is a perfect representation of their relationship. Jeffrey is blind. According to the SPCA, his brother Jermaine has dedicated his life to be his guide dog, helping him move around.
"The unconditional love and devotion these two dogs show is positively inspirational," wrote an SPCA spokesperson on the group's Facebook page.
Both dogs, approximately 8-months-old and believed to be lab-pitbull mixes, were found on the streets of Philadelphia back on October 5 and taken in by Operation Ava, a no-kill animal rescue organization.
"They were obviously a little bit scared and confused' said Ray Little, the Director of Life Saving at Operation Ava. "It was immediately apparent that Jeffrey was leaning on Jermaine and that Jermaine was making every effort to stay with his brother."
According to Little, the two brothers are inseparable.
"They're always pretty much touching each other," Little said. "Jeffrey really does try to maintain contact with Jermaine, especially when he's in an unfamiliar environment. As soon as he gets familiar with a new place, then he becomes a little bit more independent. But it's amazing how they try to maintain contact with each other."
While Little acknowledges that dogs are incredible social animals, he believes the case of Jeffrey and Jermaine is a special one.
"I think this is a little bit extraordinary in my experience because they're so careful with one another and play together so well," Little said. "It almost seems like Jermaine understands that Jeffrey has an issue seeing."
Since the photo of the two dogs was posted, Little says the response has been tremendous.
"Yesterday we had two phone lines busy all day," he said. "Between yesterday and today, I've received over 300 emails. We've been contacted by people as far away as South Africa and the United Kingdom. Many phone calls came from Canada and South America. And I think we've heard from every state in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii."
Now the two dogs are in need of a home and despite the overwhelming response, Little says there are still significant hurdles to overcome before they find one.
"We're hoping that people come here directly to the shelter but not many have done that," Little said. "It's always best for potential adopters to meet the dogs. We have only received two applications and we're still waiting to hear from references."
If you're interested in adopting the two dogs, Little is encouraging you to not only call Operation Ava at 215-240-1240 but to also visit the center, located at N. 3rd Street in Philadelphia, and see the dogs yourself.
"Meet with them, brings IDs and references so they can get started with the application right away," Little said. "Bring three personal references from people you know rather than veterinary references. The two that we have are veterinary and we can't get in touch with them over the weekend."
For more information on the adoption requirements, visit the Operation Ava website.
Photo Credit: Chester County SPCA