When two families left the Suffolk Animal Control Shelter Monday having just adopted a dog, the hard work and dedication of the shelter’s staff had truly paid off.

For weeks, the staff has battled a case of parvovirus – an extremely dangerous and deadly virus for dogs. As a result of the virus being found in the shelter, the facility closed, and some animals were tragically euthanized.

But, as the shelter reopened Monday, the shelter’s mission of finding happy homes for deserving animals is again under way.

For many, the search for a new family member – a dog or cat – begins in a newspaper’s classified section or an Internet search for pure breed. But, it should begin at the community’s shelter.

If there is a silver lining to this parvo scare and shelter closure, it is the fact that every procedure, every adoption and veterinary step has been examined and re-examined to ensure such an event will not happen again.

For the workers at the shelter their job is not a job, rather a calling. Taking care of these animals is their passion and finding them a good home is their mission.

While some animals had to be euthanized is truly a shame, but the steps taken by the staff members at the shelter have ensured that the majority of the animals housed there and those that will come there in the future have bright, healthy lives ahead of them.

And for two lucky pets Monday, their bright futures have already begun.