Chris Evans' video for two inseparable shelter dogs leads to their adoption within days

Greg and Carley looked nothing alike — one a small, short-haired Chihuahua mix, the other a large, shaggy four-year-old Golden Retriever — but staff at the Animal Rescue League of Boston's Dedham shelter had long since stopped trying to separate them. The two had been raised together, shared a kennel, and were, by every measure the shelter could apply, a bonded pair. That designation, while a testament to their connection, also made them among the hardest dogs in the building to place.

Then Chris Evans showed up with treats.

Evans participated in The Dodo's 'Dream Date' video series — a format that has run more than 200 entries and pairs Hollywood figures with shelter dogs to drive adoptions. Past participants have included Evans' Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson, as well as Matt Damon and Simon Cowell, according to Good News Network. The concept is straightforward: put the dogs at their best, put a familiar face beside them, and give a shelter a spotlight it rarely gets on its own.

In the segment, Evans played games with Carley — the retriever proved the more willing participant — answered questions about whether he and the dogs had anything in common, and shared stories about his own household, including his boxer-mix Dodger, whom he adopted from a shelter in Savannah, Georgia while filming the drama 'Gifted.' According to The Animal Rescue Site, Evans had initially assumed the dogs on that set were trained animal actors, only to learn they were shelter animals in need of homes. That realization led to Dodger's adoption. During the 'Dream Date' segment, Evans talked about Dodger's habit of sleeping outside his infant daughter's room and described the dog as both protective and gentle around her.

They’re a bonded pair, which means they have to be adopted together — a couple of sweethearts, and I hope someone out there gives them their forever home.— Chris Evans, actor

The appeal worked quickly. Shortly after the video was posted, Greg and Carley — with Carley taking the new name Callie in her new life — were adopted together by a couple who then opened an Instagram account, @lifewithgregandcallie, to document their days. What began as a shelter plea became, in the words of The Animal Rescue Site, 'an ongoing story of companionship that anyone can follow.'

Bonded pairs are consistently among the most difficult animals for shelters to place. According to the ASPCA, many prospective adopters are deterred by the prospect of doubling their financial and time commitments. At the same time, bonded animals arrive with built-in companionship, which can reduce stress and ease the transition from shelter to home, according to The Animal Rescue Site. The broader shelter landscape adds weight to the outcome: figures from 2025 show that an estimated 5.8 million dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters and rescues that year, with roughly 4.2 million finding homes, while national data from the same period indicates dog euthanasia has climbed by approximately 22 percent in recent years, with larger dogs typically facing the longest waits.

Research cited by The Animal Rescue Site adds a statistical dimension to what Evans' appearance achieved: a Cambridge University Press study found that even short public outings can increase a dog's odds of adoption by 5.0 times, while a study in the journal Animal Welfare found that temporary foster stays can increase those odds by 14.3 times. A high-profile video segment, in that light, is more than a feel-good moment.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston, where Greg and Callie lived, was founded in 1899 by Dorchester social worker Anna Harris Smith and is recognized as Massachusetts' first female-founded animal welfare organization, according to The Animal Rescue Site. It now assists more than 20,000 animals a year and operates without government funding, which makes public partnerships and visibility central to its work. Jinx, a Los Angeles-based dog nutrition brand in which Evans became a partner and investor in 2022 through its Series A and Series B funding rounds, sponsored the 'Dream Date' segment, which was produced in direct collaboration with the rescue league.

Why it matters — Greg and Callie's adoption illustrates how targeted public attention — even a single video — can overcome one of animal rescue's most persistent placement challenges, with research suggesting such exposure multiplies a shelter animal's odds of finding a home.

Reported by goodnewsnetwork.org, jfeed.com, theanimalrescuesite.com