Shelter dog meets new dad for the first time and hugs him right away

Maggie’s life had been filled with heartbreak until she met her forever family. She can’t stop hugging them now.

Mary McCraw and her husband, Mark, had recently lost their rescue dog, Mischka, to cancer. They weren’t sure they wanted to fill that void right away, until they met Maggie.

“She melted my heart,” McCraw told The Dodo. “We had lost our other dog a few months prior to meeting Maggie, and this was just a meet and greet in my mind. I didn’t think I was ready for a new dog at the time.”

Maggie’s charm was too much for the McCraws to resist when Halfway There Rescue scheduled the meet and greet.

“I bent down so she would not be intimidated, and within seconds she was in my lap and in my life,” McCraw said. “Her story broke our hearts. Meeting her was love at first sight, it was an instant connection. We feel like she was meant to be with us.”

Watch Maggie meeting her new family for the first time here:

Maggie’s former owners had neglected her and used her for breeding prior to this happy ending. Maggie was placed with a loving foster family where she could regain her strength. She was finally ready for adoption after months of healing.

“She became one of the sweetest dogs we have ever fostered,” Andra Mack told The Dodo. “The moment that Maggie met her new dad, my husband and I just looked at each other — because we knew. It was like a movie.”

Mack knew she’d found the right match the moment she saw Maggie meet the McCraws. Maggie couldn’t stop hugging them as if to express her gratitude.

“They were meant to be together,” Mack said. “The beam of sunshine that is clear in the video makes me believe that their former dog, Mischka, was looking down on that meeting and smiling.”

The McCraws agree, wholeheartedly. Rescuing the sweet pit bull changed their lives for the better.

“Maggie brings joy to everyone she meets and continually makes our life better,” McCraw said. “Looking into those eyes just makes the world a better place.”