Shelter dogs surprise quarantined seniors outside their windows

For many of us, we've never realized the weight of a simple "hello" until the coronavirus pandemic. 

Many seniors have been barred from most social interaction, quarantining for months on end to protect themselves from COVID-19. That includes Renae Sosebee, who has been at PruittHealth Brookhaven since last year.

Sosebee spends most of her time looking out her window, but she spotted more than birds chirping earlier this month.

Lifeline Animal Project volunteers strolled by with...SURPRISE! -- A few furry friends.

Aspen, Big Hank and Melissa brightened the day of more than 70 patients in Brookhaven. The rescues, two of whom are still in need of a forever home, were boosted up to peer into residents' rooms for a friendly hello.

"I'm a dog lover, and I have three at home, and I miss them a lot," Sosebee told FOX 5's Emilie Ikeda. "So it was good to see [the rescue dogs], it made me feel good. I miss that companionship."

This is a first for PruittHealth and Lifeline, but certainly not the last.

Lorrie Woebekking hopes to make it a regular thing, as COVID-19 tightens its grip on the Peach State.

"We're in healthcare because we care," Woebbeking said. "The residents here, they drive me, they're what get me up every single day coming into work. Dealing with all of the protocols and everything that's going on, it's really important to me to make sure that they're happy."

Lifeline Animal Project expects to see a significant increase in dogs needing a home because of continued evictions. You can learn more about how you can help through fostering or adopting here.