Lewis Jiménez had an extremely challenging task to do. He had to return his pit bull, Titus, to the Austin, Texas, animal shelter from whence he had acquired him five years before. Lewis, though, came back for Titus as soon as he could, and he’s determined never to be separated from him again, unlike many others who abandon their dogs at shelters and never come back for them.

When Titus was 2 years old, Lewis adopted him from the Austin Animal Center. She hadn’t intended to adopt a pit bull, but she fell in love with him after seeing shelter staff lead Titus outside into the yard.

I was giddy and thinking, “Man, that’s the one I want,” as I was bouncing and thrilled.

Lewis and Titus were best friends over the ensuing five years, and Lewis was unable to picture his life without Titus.

He stated:

“Like my big boy, he is. I am a part of him “.

But something happened the previous year that would separate them. Lewis was informed that he had to leave Titus immediately if he wanted to avoid being kicked out.

Lewis was forced to return Titus to the shelter since he had nowhere else to go and no one he knew would be able to care for him while he looked for another home.

Initially, the shelter staff wasn’t certain Lewis would return with Titus.

Jenna stated:

“From our perspective, we can’t keep dogs since we often hear owners promise that they’ll return, but they don’t.”

But despite Lewis’ assurances that it would only be temporary, the shelter workers observed how difficult it was for Lewis to release Titus. Titus also struggled to adapt to the shelter. In fact, Jennifer said, he was just plain miserable.

Jenna stated:

“Dogs experience extreme stress when they are in the shelter. Titus wasn’t one of the dogs who handled it better than others. He was quite anxious. Once you let him out of the kennel, he is wonderful, extremely lively, and very affectionate. However, he is gloomy and depressed in the kennel.

Lewis made as many trips as they could to see Titus, but they were always difficult for everyone.