BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo animal shelter's social media plea went viral and helped reunite a woman with a dog she thought she had lost her chance to adopt.
Lloyd, a 1-year-old pit bull mix, arrived at the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter as a stray on Aug. 20. Last Thursday, he caught the attention of Lexi Ziccardi, who was searching for a new companion after losing her dog last November.
When Ziccardi returned the next day to consider bringing Lloyd home, another family visited with him and told her they planned to adopt him. She decided what was meant to be was meant to be, and left.
Shortly after, that family had a change of heart and decided not to adopt Lloyd. Shelter staff desperately wanted to reconnect with Ziccardi, but they didn't have her contact information.
So they turned to social media with a heartfelt plea, saying in part: "To the woman with the long brown hair who met Lloyd yesterday... this is your sign."
WATCH: Buffalo shelter's viral social media post reunites woman with dog she almost didn't adopt
The post went viral, garnering more than 220,000 likes on Instagram, with comments coming from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
Ziccardi said she saw the post within 6 minutes and immediately contacted the shelter. On Tuesday, she went back to formally adopt Lloyd.
"I keep telling my family that he's very 'me'. He's just, he's very sweet. I just feel very linked with him. I also said when it's time to look for a dog again, you'll just know, and I mean what bigger sign than what happened," Ziccardi said. "I was looking for a sign to get a new one, and he found his way back to me."
Dustin Yourman, a volunteer at the Buffalo Animal Shelter, said the outpouring of support was unlike anything he had seen.
"It's heartwarming, it gives us hope and faith. Posts like that really bring the best out of people. We deal with a lot of cynicism in the world and a lot of negative energy, so when everyone comes together and roots for this match to work, it's such a wonderful feeling," Yourman said.
Ziccardi hopes the viral attention from her story will shine a spotlight on the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter and encourage more adoptions. Lloyd is scheduled for his neuter surgery and will officially head to his new home with Ziccardi in the coming days.
