When Sherri Stankewitz, founder and operator of West Coast Animal Rescue in Long Beach, California, brought in a team to create a video for her organization, she had no idea she was about to be pranked in the best possible way.

Sherri started the rescue after picking up stray dogs she found along her route to work. Due to the amount of time, effort, and money the work demanded, Sherri eventually moved into a garage at the rescue.

The rescue quickly filled up, and keeping the donations flowing was proving tough. To drum up excitement, Sherri and her team of volunteers planned a huge adoption event, and they hoped to send at least five dogs to new homes that day. What Sherri didn’t know was that her friends and volunteers had been working for months with Prank It Forward to give Sherri a well-deserved surprise.

After tricking Sherri into thinking a “pet investigator” was there to take away the dogs, the Prank It Forward team and Sherri’s volunteers revealed the surprise: a new trailer for transporting the dogs, a year of operating costs paid, and a free trip to Aruba. The best surprise for Sherri, though, was the group of pre-approved adopters waiting to pick up their new pets and the representatives from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue on hand to take the older dogs.