Puppies and large dogs meet potential pet parents at fitness center in Durham

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- The sight of puppies cuddling can melt the coldest of hearts. So while you'd think that several puppies jumping around inside O2 Fitness in Durham when they weren't picked up and hugged by potential pet parents would be perfect candidates for adoption, many still need permanent homes.

That goes double for adult dogs like Tucker, a beautiful black pit bull.

"Tucker has been in rescue for two years," said Jane-Howard Staples of the Beautiful Together Animal Sanctuary, organizers of Sunday's adoption opportunity. "He was abandoned on a chain outside of someone's house near Charlotte. And we got him off the train and into rescue. He had heartworm disease really badly. We treated him for heartworm disease."

"He got super healthy. And he's the sweetest dog, as you can see right here. He just loves everyone. He meets other dogs and people just seem to pass him by on the website. There's just a lot of pit bull breeds out there, and a lot of black dogs. Statistically, they're just easier to overlook because the camera doesn't catch their faces as well. And so he's just one of those dogs that gets overlooked for no...no good reason," she continued.

Staples said the puppies really need some TLC.

"All of which either were born in rescue or were born in the shelter. And we brought them into rescue shortly after, so there's a lot of pregnant mama dogs in the shelter all the time, especially right now," she said. "And shelters are just not a good place for a dog. It's just very stressful for the moms and for the babies. So we try to get them out of there as soon as possible. One of the guys was about to burst any day, and she had pups. She had puppies in the rescue at a foster home."

Beautiful Together is a non-profit seeking donations for the space they're building on 83 acres of Chapel Hill farmland for animals that need refuge. While that's underway, they're still working to connect with potential forever homes.

"There is a fee," she said, "So, the adoption donation goes towards helping dogs like Tucker that need heartworm treatment or dogs that come in with broken bones. And we have to spend a lot of money on surgery for those we always spay and neuter dogs if they're of age to be spayed and neutered...you can put an application straight from his profile and it'll apply to adopt him. And he's great with everybody except for small animals. Small dogs and cats are a no-go with him."

And if you're a feline fancier, they can connect you with cats that need homes, too.

For more information, you can visit their website.