Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, the original Silicon Valley real estate startup founded in 1906, has been awarded the first-ever Companion Animal Champion Award by Adopt-a-Pet.com for helping find homes for more than 20,000 dogs in 2015.

In February 2015, Coldwell Banker Real Estate joined forces with Adopt-a-Pet.com, the largest nonprofit pet adoption website in North America, to launch the “Homes for Dogs Project”, an initiative aimed at sharing resources to find homes for adoptable dogs.

“We have been so honored to make a difference in these pets’ lives”, said Sean Blankenship, chief marketing officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “There is a saying that you don’t adopt a dog, the dog adopts you. To think of how many families we have touched this year as a result of the campaign is truly humbling”.

Aside from hosting events and drives, the company is helping boost adoptions by showcasing the human-dog bond and all that our four-legged friends do for us.

Like this video, which tells the true story of Owen, a boy with a rare genetic disorder (only 40 other people in the world have it) that causes his muscles to constantly contract, painfully.

Haatachi was beaten, abused and left for dead on a railroad track. He lost his tail and leg from a passing train.

Owen’s in a wheelchair, Haatachi has three-legs.

The pair are inseparable. When Owen starts to have a muscle spams, Haatchi runs to him.

“Before I had Haatachi, I was afraid of strangers and I didn’t want to go out,” Owen says.

But after Haatachi, he wasn’t scared anymore.

“He changed my life and I really wanted to go out more,” Owen says.

The following video shows how adopting a pet can forever change the meaning of home and the lives of those who reside in it.

October is American Humane Association Adopt a Dog Month as well as the ASPCA’s Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. So if you are looking for a new best friend, check your local shelter or rescue   – we are sure he is waiting to go home with you.