Watch Shelter Dogs Sit In Comfy Fashion Thanks To Donated Chairs

GALESBURG, IL — Ever since humans and dogs began living with each other, one of the eternal struggles between them has been over claims for the most comfortable seat in a home. Some dogs in Illinois don't have that problem, at least for now. A no-kill animal shelter is giving its canines their own comfy chairs.

The Knox County Humane Society in Galesburg has been accepting donated chairs for its dogs thanks to a "suggestion" of sorts from Buster Brown, one of its rather large — but likable — four-legged residents. When the dog returned to the shelter a year and a half ago after his adoptive "parents" divorced, Buster became attached to sitting in a chair at the front of the shelter, Erin Buckmaster, the shelter's volunteer executive director told the "Today" show.

That's when the shelter provided Buster, who has become a mascot for the facility, with his own cushy accommodations donated by a local plumbing and heating company. Buster's enjoyment over his chair also gave Buckmaster and the rest of the staff the chance to become Oprah for the rest of their canine charges and decide: "This dog gets a chair, and this dog gets a chair!"

"Buster was so comfortable. We thought they all needed one," Buckmaster, 71, told "Today."

But these chairs aren't seen as luxuries. Because it's a no-kill facility, animals can stay at the humane society for extended periods of time, and it's essential to keep them calm and engaged — mentally and physically while they're there. The chairs, along with a play yard and a "real-life room" designed to simulate a home environment, help do that, Buckmaster told "Today."

WATCH: Dogs at the Knox County Humane Society in Galesburg, Illinois, enjoy comfy chairs donated to the no-kill shelter (Video via Knox County Humane Society):

The shelter has around 50 dogs up for adoption, and so far, 22 chairs have been donated from the community. A video of the dogs and their chairs was posted online, and the animals' enthusiasm has spread to people around the United States who have contacted the humane society looking to adopt a dog they saw in the footage, Buckmaster said. Staffers at other shelters across the country also have been asking how they can do something similar, she added.

"We never dreamed it would take off like this," she told "Today." "I really just wanted the dogs to feel more comfortable while staying at the shelter."

And take heart, cat lovers: The Knox County Humane Society treats its felines well, too. The 50 cats aren't in cages and can play with toys in an expansive, indoor-outdoor enclosures.

Go to the Knox County Human Society's Facebook page for more information about the animals and the comfy chairs.

More via the "Today" show

A dog at the Knox County Humane Society in Galesburg, Illinois, enjoys a comfortable chair donated to the no-kill shelter. (Photo via Knox County Humane Society)