A professional dog groomer let out a loud yell and burst into happy tears when she discovered an adorable puppy she was grooming was actually a gift to her.
In February, Vikki Sapp, 51, lost her previous dog, Diego, who escaped from her yard and was hit by a car, leading Vikki to mourn his loss for months.
But a few months back, Vikki’s co-worker Heather Hodges, 26, at their dog salon in Waco, Texas, decided she wanted to bring some canine joy back into Vikki’s life.
Heather had known for around four years that VIkki liked Maltese dogs, Shih Tzus and Yorkies, and on May 19 received a call from a friend to ask if anyone was looking to adopt a dog.
Heather, thinking of her friend, decided to give the beautiful puppy to Vikki, and the following morning, Heather’s friend dropped the pooch off at the salon.
Vikki was told the owner had said to give the dog whatever fur trim she felt would make it look pretty, and for hours Vikki talked about how beautiful the dog looked and how she wanted to take her home.
Then, once the trim was complete, Heather presented Vikki with a bag that she told her friend was a take-home bag of treats.
Vikki questioned “But I don’t have a dog yet?” and then, when the realization hit her, let out a “NO WAY!” and began to sob at the kind gesture.
Vikki has since named the dog Layla, and after Heather shared the video online, the pair received an outpouring of support.
Heather said: “I was anxious, nervous, excited – I didn’t know what to do with myself there were so many times I wanted to run in there to tell her.
“I’m not an openly emotional person, so the second she realized what was going on I erupted with tears.
“My heart was singing with joy because I finally got to do something for someone that is so special to us.
“I wanted people to see that not all is bad, and that anyone can bring joy to someone’s life.
“While the message was great and everything went so smoothly, we do not encourage people to use animals as gifts.
“It is a financial and personal decision that people need to make on their own.”