When Paris was first taken in at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter (TOHAS) in Wantagh, New York, she seemed downhearted.
The staff didn’t know much about her history, but they strongly suspected that she had been overbred.
Day after day, Paris watched other dogs walk past her kennel, but she showed no interest in them and stayed distant.
That all changed, however, when she encountered a Pit Bull puppy who had recently been rescued and brought into the shelter.
Her reaction was both touching and heartbreaking.
Comforting A Crying Puppy
The staff placed a tiny puppy named Bruce Willis in the kennel beside Paris.
Separated from his littermates, the little pup felt lonely and began crying endlessly, longing for their company.
Hearing his cries broke Paris’s heart. Her maternal instinct immediately took over, and she rushed to the kennel door, pressing her face against the bars, desperately trying to reach him.
Though Paris couldn’t see him, she sensed he needed comfort. Bruce Willis couldn’t see her either, but her presence alone helped calm him.
“You can even see the puppy (Bruce Willis) lean up against the kennel to be with her,” the shelter wrote on Instagram.
The staff was moved to tears watching the two lonely souls trying to connect through the kennel walls.
Although Paris hadn’t yet been tested with other dogs, the workers decided to let her meet Bruce Willis. Her compassion made them confident it would go well.
And they were right. As soon as Paris and Bruce Willis met, they lit up with joy. They played together happily, smiling and bonding instantly.
From that day, they became inseparable friends, enjoying each other’s company until both were placed in foster homes.
Looking For Someone To Give Her A Chance
Sadly, Paris’s foster arrangement didn’t last. Less than two weeks later, her foster family returned her.
“[While] she is great overnight and absolutely loves human interaction … [she] does seem to pace around the house, and [her foster mom] has said, ‘It almost seems like, because she has been a [mama], she looks for her babies,’” Alex Charalambous at Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter told The Dodo.
Back at the New York shelter, Paris once again showed her loving side, especially with the puppies. She even befriended Bruce Willis’s brother, caring for him like her own.
As much as she adores nurturing the little ones, the staff knows what Paris truly needs is a family of her own.
While she patiently waits for her forever home, the shelter team continues to surround her with love and affection until the right person comes along.