Lewis Jimenez was reunited with his dog Titus after a four-month separation forced by the fact that keeping the pitbull meant being evicted. Their reunion celebration went viral after being posted on the Austin Animal Center’s Facebook page.
Jimenez, 53, had adopted Titus at the animal center when he was puppy in 2013 but had to bring him back after the dog had an incident with a neighbor while being walked by his grandson, "Today" reported.
Fearing eviction over the stigma surrounding pit bulls, the house painter had returned the dog back in November while hoping to move to another location so they could live together again.
"The management company told him that he had to get rid of Titus, or he was going to be evicted," Jennifer Olohan, communications and media manager at Austin Animal Center, told the pet website The Dodo.
Jimenez said he was heartbroken and determined to get Titus back. While he looked for another place to live, he would visit Titus as often as he could, per The Dodo.
"He would get overwhelmed and he would be very sad," Jimenez said of Titus. "The volunteers would make notes like, 'Titus is not himself.' It just made me even more determined to do what I had to do to get him out."
Olohan told The Dodo the staff had their doubts because they hear stories from pet owners like Jimenez all the time – promising to come get their pets but eventually never returning.
In February, though, Jimenez moved into a place with his family where he got approval to keep his pitbull. A photographer documented the reunion as Jimenez reclaimed Titus.
"Everyone was really, really emotional," Olohan told The Dodo. "Titus was thrilled and so was Lewis. We had some staff and volunteers there, and everyone was crying. Some people knew about their story already, and knew that Lewis was kind of waiting in the wings for Titus."
On Monday, the Austin Animal Center thanked those who shared the story of Jimenez and Titus on social media.
"A lot of you shared Titus' story last month, a dog who was surrendered then re-adopted by his dad," the center wrote on Facebook. "Thanks to you, their story has gone viral! … We're so happy for the reunited family and proud to have played a part in it!"
A number people celebrated the reunion on social media.