The heartwarming story of how a dog and her owner ended up back together after the pup's owner had to give her up after moving into an assisted living home has gone viral on social media.

A post shared to Facebook on Wednesday by IndyHumane, an animal shelter located in Indiana, shows Gracie's emotional reunion with her owner after they were separated for 20 days because her owner thought she was no longer allowed to keep her.

"Gracie's owner's heart was heavy when she had to surrender her beloved dog due to her move to assisted living. She thought she wouldn't be able to have Gracie by her side in her new home," IndyHumane wrote in its Facebook post. "However, fate had a different plan. After the owner found out she was allowed to have two pets, she rushed back to the shelter to reunite with Gracie, who was still patiently waiting for a forever home."

Liv Barwinska, a spokesperson for IndyHumane, told Newsweek via email that everybody was tearing up when they witnessed the wonderful reunion.

"Fate brought them back together as nobody had adopted Gracie during the time she spent at the shelter; so the owner was able to get her back once she found out she could keep her at the assisted living facility!" Barwinska said. "She was surrendered to the shelter on June 28th and her owner came back for her on July 18th!"

Dogs are great pets to have around at all ages. Among the benefits of having a furbaby by your side, dogs keep us happy and help us feel less lonely, according to health experts at WebMD.

Dog owners tend to have better heart and blood vessel health, including lower blood pressure, than those who don't have a pet pup.

"That's because dogs get people moving. Walking a dog regularly can help you boost how much exercise you get each day," according to a WebMD article from 2023.

Best breeds for senior owners include: Bichon Frisé, cocker spaniel, beagles, greyhounds, and pugs, as they're all small and only require minimum daily exercise.

Thankfully for Gracie, her forever human went back for her as soon as she had the good news, but most other pups who end up in shelters have to face a totally different reality.

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet "Shelter Watch Report" found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

Facebook Users React

The video quickly went viral Facebook and has so far received over 205,000 views and 6,600 likes on the platform.

One user, Katie Burrell, commented: "Yay!! I also love that you allowed her to go back after her surrender. Kindness and understanding."

Mary Lindsey Lewis added: "Pet friendly senior living is the way to go!"

Jamie Dirksen posted: "This made me cry - so glad she could keep her sweet dog!"

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.