Christmas is the time of gift-giving, and the youngest ones are most happy with the presents that Santa brings under the tree.
However, the animals are no less excited when they are surprised by a gift early on Christmas morning.
For this very reason, a shelter located in Des Moines, Iowa, made an effort to bring at least a little Christmas joy to its tenants every year.
It is an understatement to say that this event, which lasts throughout December, brought happiness to their dogs and cats.
They were over the moon, and in the end, they received the most beautiful gift that any animal in the shelter could imagine.
Excitement Over The Roof
The “Tree of Life” program is one of the most wonderful events of the year, organized by the Animal Rescue League of Iowa every December.
It was no different one year when they chose several dogs and cats to find their ideal present under the Christmas tree.
“Watching their selection process was almost as much fun as seeing these critters enjoy their bounty afterwards,” Stephanie Filer, manager of special gifts and partnerships for the ARL told The Dodo.
And, truly, when that day came, the five selected dogs had not even reached the tree yet, but incredible excitement could already be seen on their faces. It was as if they felt that something magical was waiting for them.
Their joy escalated as soon as they saw the tree, under which, there were piles of gifts waiting just for them.
“It’s like seeing kids on Christmas morning after Santa has made his deliveries,” Filler said for The Dodo.
Every animal had a somewhat different reaction, but a strong emotion of happiness could be seen in the eyes of every single one of them.
Some pups took their time sniffing out the perfect gift, while others threw themselves over the pile and grabbed the first toy they saw.
One of the dogs, named Boss, was so grateful to the human who brought him to this place that he hugged him in gratitude.
He didn’t even play with any of the toys at that place because of the huge excitement of being at the center of attention. Only afterward, in his kennel, he began to “test” his gift.
Of course, we should not forget the cats who also participated in this magical event. Cats, being cats, didn’t show as many emotions as the dogs, but deep in their hearts, they were also in seventh heaven.
“As for the cats, they mostly enjoyed playing ON the donated items,” Filer said.
However, the most beautiful gift of that Christmas was still waiting for all of them.
The Best Christmas Gift
Even before ARL posted the video of this event on their Facebook page, one of the already-selected dogs, named Zippy, received the happiest news.
“GREAT NEWS: Remember Zippy? He was ADOPTED yesterday!” they wrote in their Facebook post.
But, the happy news didn’t end there because shortly after posting the video, ARL shared an update with the public in the comment below.
“Update: Snoop, Hemi, Boss, and Luanne have all found homes!” they wrote.
Just a few hours later, a new comment appeared: “Update: Jango is heading home right now!”
Of all the selected animals, only the cat, Frank, remained. Although he had to settle for a simple gift for a few more days, he also found a loving home very quickly.
Thus, five dogs and two cats celebrated the merriest Christmas of their lives and received the best gift they could wish for.
Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year!