When Lewis Jimenez walked back into the Austin Animal Center after months apart, his pit bull, Titus, couldn’t contain himself.
The big dog jumped into his dad’s arms, wrapping him in a hug — finally home where he belonged. It had been a long and painful separation.
Jimenez first met Titus in 2013 when the pup was 2 years old. He hadn’t planned on adopting a pit bull that day, but when he saw volunteers walking Titus in the yard, it was love at first sight.
“He was jumping and happy, and I thought, ‘Man, that’s the one I want,’” Jimenez recalled.
For the next five years, the pair was inseparable. Titus was family — “like my big old kid,” Jimenez said. But then life dealt them a cruel hand.
Jimenez’s apartment management gave him an ultimatum: get rid of Titus or face eviction.
With no one able to take the dog temporarily and no other housing options, Jimenez had no choice but to bring Titus back to the shelter where they’d first met.
It was a heartbreaking day for both.
At first, the shelter staff weren’t sure if Jimenez would come back for Titus. “From our point of view, we’re not able to hold dogs, because we hear owners say this all the time — that they’re going to come back, but then they don’t,” Olohan said.
At the same time, the shelter staff saw how difficult it was for Jimenez to give up Titus, even if Jimenez said it would be temporary.
And from the start, shelter staff noticed Titus wasn’t adjusting well.
“Some dogs handle the shelter better than others, but Titus wasn’t one of them,” said Jennifer Olohan, communications manager at the Austin Animal Center. “In his kennel, he was sullen and sad. Outside, he was playful and sweet. But inside, he just seemed lost.”
Jimenez and his family visited as often as they could. Each time, leaving was harder than the last.
“The staff would see them in tears as they were leaving,” Olohan said. “The whole situation was just heartbreaking.”
Still, Jimenez never gave up. For four months, he worked tirelessly to find a home where Titus would be welcome.
Finally, the day came. Jimenez’s family moved into a new house — one with a yard for Titus to run free.
The reunion at the shelter left everyone in tears, staff and volunteers included. “Titus was thrilled and so was Lewis,” Olohan said. “Everyone was crying happy tears.”
A photographer captured the emotional moment Titus threw himself into Jimenez’s arms, his face glowing with the biggest doggy smile. The photos went viral, proof of a bond that never broke.
Now, Titus is exactly where he belongs — stretched out on the couch (despite the rules), soaking in the love of his family.
“He loves Titus,” Olohan said. “Not coming back for him was never an option.”
✨ If you’re ready to give a dog like Titus their happy ending, visit the Austin Animal Center’s adoption page.
