Alix Earle had a special Christmas gift for her dog, Asia: a permanent place in the family.
On Thursday, Dec. 25, the influencer shared a video filmed in front of her family’s festively decorated Christmas tree. Wearing a Santa hat and pink pajamas that matched Asia’s fluffy sweater, Earle, 25, asked viewers not to tease her as she pulled a letter from an envelope.
She then addressed Asia directly, reading, “From the second I met you, I knew you were special. I don’t know much about your life before you ended up in the shelter, but I want you to know every day, minute, second you spent waiting for your forever home was worth it.”
Earle reflected on Asia’s long wait — 495 days in a shelter — before she began searching for a foster pet earlier this year. Since then, the black-and-white pup has popped up regularly in Earle’s vlogs and Instagram posts.
“As much as I’ve been there to help you, you’ve helped me. And you’ve given me a best buddy for life,” she told Asia.
In the emotional moment, Earle delivered the big news: “So, I wanted to tell you…you’re adopted!” As her family cheered from behind the camera, Earle added in the caption that “Asia found her forever home ❤️🎄”
Earle first began caring for Asia with her then-boyfriend, NFL player Braxton Berrios. Their breakup was confirmed in early December.
She initially shared that she was fostering a 4-year-old dog during a Feb. 20 episode of her Hot Mess podcast, explaining that she felt an instant connection after meeting Asia and calling her “the sweetest girl in the entire world.”
In the podcast episode, Earle also spoke about wanting to help a dog that had been overlooked for a long time. “I really wanted a foster dog that had been in the shelter for a while because they build up so much stress in there,” she said. She added that some dogs are adopted faster because they’re younger or considered easier to place, but Asia stood out immediately: “She’s been wagging her tail the whole time we took her home. She’s so good with the little kids. She’s so friendly.”
