NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Everybody, hug your puppy.
When a Nashville animal shelter named a litter of puppies after the Backstreet Boys, they probably weren't expecting to meet the real members of the pioneering boy band.
The Nashville Humane Association shared photos last week of puppies named after each of the Backstreet Boys members, plus one named "Millennium" after the band's 1999 album. But they weren't the only Backstreet Boys in town: The puppies' namesakes were in Nashville for their "DNA World Tour."
"These pups were invited to visit them AND HELP them with a special production shoot," the shelter said on Instagram Monday. "As you can see from the photos in this post, the experience was Larger Than Life for all involved! We are so grateful for this superstardom support towards raising adoption awareness for some adorable 9–10-week-old shepherd mix shelter pups!"
It was time for the world to quit playing games with the pups' hearts, the shelter said. Most were available for adoption starting Tuesday, with AJ and Howie being ready later this week.
So were people interested in adopting a Backstreet Boy? The shelter said via email Tuesday that the post "broke the internet" on its social media pages, leading to plenty of interest in the puppies.
"If there was ever a moment to have 6 degrees of separation (plus unconditional love) from a Backstreet Boy... Now is your chance! And we're all sure you want it that way. Cause all of these pups promise that they'll never break your heart," the shelter wrote.