This “Game of Thrones” themed litter at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter stirred up quite a buzz after they became famous on the Internet and wooed everyone with their tiny cuteness. Foster mom Delal Salah had her heart set on fostering a cat or two, so she was in for a surprise when Pit Bull momma “Khaleesi” knocked on her door with 9 little buns in the oven.
Before the dog was able to be moved a couple weeks later, she went into labor and remained with Salah, who said of the puppies, they are “so smart, so beautiful, such individual personalities.” I couldn’t agree more! Is this perhaps a case of cat person gone to the dogs?
Leading up to their adoption, Fairfax posted photos of the pups on Facebook and gained quite a following, especially after people met the furry celebrities face-to-face at a shelter fundraiser.
Amanda Novotny, resident foster and rescue coordinator, said that “We [had] been receiving Facebook messages and emails about these guys really since week one. People were excited.” When round one of the puppies went up for adoption — a total of 5 — prospective pawrents lined up around 9 A.M. to get their hands on one. The next day, with more pups becoming available, people showed up even earlier.
Two of these early birds were Nora and James Murtha, a couple with their eyes set on “Bran,” a brindle boy. They began the line at 4 A.M., saying: “We wanted to get there at a time we knew no one else would be crazy enough to arrive at so we were guaranteed our love.” Sure enough, Bran, now Silas, got his furever home with an identical furry sibling.
The hype grew to such a level that after all of the puppies were spoken for, the shelter began funneling people to other adoptables in shelters in D.C.
As for the incredible following, Novotny attributes it to a few things. For one, these tiny tail-waggers are SO. CUTE. ‘Nuff said. For another, the shelter believes that by “advertising” the pups as “mixed-breed” rather than Pit Bulls, it encouraged people to look past their appearance and focus more on personality and suitability to their lifestyle. And lastly, Salah’s master fostering techniques — playing, socializing, and preparing the pups for family life — really helped make them ideal companions.
To add to the happy endings, momma Khaleesi is staying right where she is, with Salah. True to dog-person form, Salah adds that “as a cat person I never thought I’d have a dog. Her soul is so pure and sweet.” We know, it was only a matter of time. 🙂
