“I couldn’t get her out of my mind …”

For volunteer Kite Johnson, visiting the local shelter was part of a well-worn routine. With her list of dogs in hand, she moved through the kennels, offering care and comfort as she had done for more than fifty fosters before. But on this day, something unexpected happened.

As her shift ended, Kite walked toward the exit when a sudden pull made her glance sideways. There, at the end of the row, a dog stood on trembling legs, tail wagging with desperate hope.

“It was like something turned my head,” Kite recalled. “She got up instantly, tail wagging, greeting me as if she had been waiting all this time.”

The dog’s name was Luna. Pressing her paws against the kennel bars, Luna locked eyes with Kite — eyes that seemed to plead, “Please, take me home.”

Kite’s heart softened instantly. But with an upcoming trip, she told herself fostering wasn’t possible. Still, that night, Luna stayed on her mind.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about her,” Kite admitted. “And when I learned she had been placed on the euthanasia list, I knew I couldn’t let her go.”

Since Kite was away, another volunteer, Elena, stepped forward. Luna stayed with her for a few days and quickly bonded with Elena’s young son, feeling safe for the first time in ages.

When Kite returned, she brought Luna into her own home. Luna fit in seamlessly, showering love on her foster dad, her cat sibling Oliver, and her dog sister Daisy.

“She blended in so naturally, like she’d always been part of us,” Kite said.

During her first month in foster care, Luna underwent heartworm treatment. Throughout it all, she snuggled close, as if she already knew she belonged.

But this time was different. Kite had fostered 54 dogs before, all of whom went on to new families. Yet letting Luna go felt impossible. Her husband saw the tears, the hesitation, the quiet bond that had already taken root.

“I told him that whether we kept her or let her go, I wanted it to be his choice,” Kite said with a smile.

On Mother’s Day, he handed her a card. Inside were Luna’s adoption papers.

Kite cried tears of joy. “He’s such a good man,” she said. “And I’m so glad we have our Luna now.”

Months later, Luna’s joy fills every corner of their lives. She’s inseparable from Daisy, still honors Oliver’s memory, and curls up each night against Kite’s belly, waiting for her soon-to-arrive baby brother.

For Kite and her husband, Luna became their first “foster fail” — their 55th foster pup who instead became family forever.

“It was never our plan to adopt,” Kite said. “But when it’s your dog, you’ll know. Luna made sure of that.”