PENDLETON — Two pet adopters from La Grande shared a story that earned the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter a sizable grant from Petco Love as part of its annual Love Stories campaign.

National nonprofit Petco Love, in partnership with BOBS from Skechers, held its annual Love Stories campaign contest, inviting families across the U.S. to share how adopted pets changed their lives.

According to the Petco Love press release, the organization has received more than 25,000 stories throughout the years showcasing how adopted pets transformed peoples’ lives.

The contest recognized 25 winners and awarded a total of $500,000 to winning animal shelters and rescues across the country, including PAWS.

Among the 25 winners were Matt Fagan, 50, and Bill Harmon, 70, of La Grande.

Their adoption journey began after their previous dog, The Doctor, died from bone cancer Nov. 24, 2023, the day after Thanksgiving, just a week before Harmon was scheduled to meet with the medical team at Eastern Oregon Cancer Center to discuss treatment options for his prostate cancer.

“It was awful,” Fagan said. “We were not prepared. We had to go to the cancer center and start dealing with Bill’s cancer. I had never had a dog before The Doctor, so I had no idea what my process for grieving was going to be like. But it turned out that neither Bill nor I were prepared to face anything with no dog in the house. It was a really rough space, but in the middle of that, we found Gus.”

Fagan said the week after The Doctor died, he and Harmon scheduled a meet-and-greet with Gus, a 3-year-old hound mix. Gus was first brought into PAWS as a stray, got adopted by a family, hit by a car and was returned to the shelter.

Although Gus suffers with anxiety issues, Fagan and Harmon felt a connection to him, Fagan said.

Four days later, after PAWS approved the adoption, the couple brought Gus home on Harmon’s first visit to the cancer center. From then on, Gus stayed by Harmon’s side as he underwent radiation treatments.

“Gus was there for the entire journey that we, and especially Bill, had to go through over the next several months,” Fagan said. “I just don’t think that Bill would have done as well through his treatment process if Gus wasn’t there. He gave Bill someone meaningfully important outside of himself to focus on. Someone who needed him in a way that no one else did and watching that bond was so inspiring and so important.”

After months of enduring chemotherapy, Harmon’s cancer was in complete remission, Fagan said, attributing gratitude to Gus’s companionship throughout the treatment process.

When PAWS announced the annual Petco Love Stories campaign on its Facebook page, Fagan jumped at the chance to share his adoption journey and created a video for the contest.

“Gus was there for us during a difficult cancer journey,” Fagan said in the video. “He became our new best friend and constant companion. Gus made us happy. He made us less scared and gave us a reason to go out and have adventures as a family again.”

As one of 25 national winners, Fagan will receive a pair of BOBS footwear and a Petco shopping spree.

Fagan said he will use the shopping spree to buy gifts and treats for Gus.

Shaindel Beers, vice president of PAWS, said the situation is exciting.

“We have had adopters enter in the past,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve had a winner, and it’s just a great honor. And it’s just a really heartwarming story.”

As a result of Fagan’s winning story, PAWS will receive a grant from Petco Love ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. The award amount will be announced during the ceremony, Feb. 14, at Petco in Kennewick.

“ The fact that PAWS is going to receive something is going to be more than I could give them myself,” Fagan said. “ I see how hard these people are working. I would love to be the kind of person who does the work that they do.”

Since 2013, more than 25,000 adopters have shared their stories through the Petco Love Stories campaign, with $8 million in grants going to animal welfare organizations across the country.