You've heard the story before. Animal lover, unable to keep a pair of pets for whatever reason, tearfully relinquishes said domestic companions to a shelter.

And then these precious pets, used to the loving care of a human parental figure, take up residence in a shelter — and wait, wait, and wait some more.

They're waiting for a generous soul to adopt them together, because, after all, they're family.

Alas, the waiting game stretches out for weeks, and it doesn't happen. And the shelter must make the difficult decision to split up the brethren.

Well, we hope you have those ultra-soft Kleenex within reach. Not only is this story a tear jerker, but it's a heartbreaker. Consider yourself forewarned.

Because unless you're terminally ill and have been forced to surrender your well-behaved, housebroken dogs to a shelter without knowing what fate awaits them, then you're won't be able to control the emotional waterworks.

The owner of Kirby, a 7-year-old male Collie Labrador mix, and Molly, a 9-year-old female Dalmatian Heeler mix, had been visiting Abandoned Animal Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter in Tomball, for weeks to put her furry friends up for adoption. But she was met with the same answer time and time again — the facility was at capacity.

"She kept asking if we had room for the dogs, but we were full," said Angie Fenton, one of the founding board members of Abandoned Animal Rescue.

In early December, after weeks of refusing to take no for an answer, the owner — her name withheld due to pet adoption confidentiality requirements — broke down and admitted she was suffering from the last stages of ovarian cancer, and would be spending her final days with relatives out of the area. And she would have to put her beloved dogs up for adoption.

"The entire staff was in tears," Fenton said. "We knew she didn't give up [on leaving them at the shelter] because she really cared about her pets."

Abandoned Animal Rescue couldn't turn a blind eye any longer. The organization agreed to take both canines — and tentatively agreed to an additional request as well. "She wanted us to try to find them a home together," Fenton said. "We said we would try, but we can't guarantee it."

The owner knew her fuzzy children well. When separated, Kirby and Molly desperately miss each other. "We don't normally keep [pets from the same household] together, but Kirby and Molly cry when they're apart," Fenton said. "But we can only do it for a couple more weeks before they have to be separated."

Fortunately, both Kirby and Molly will remain at the shelter until they are both adopted, as Abandoned Animal Rescue has a strict no-kill policy. But if they don't find a home together soon, they might have more than a broken family — they may both suffer broken hearts, too.

If your new year's resolutions include opening your heart, adopt this sweet creature duo. More information can be found online on the Abandoned Animal Rescue site, or by calling 281-290-0121.