TAMPA, Fla. — Hundreds of puppies seized from a Tampa breeder in September at last got to go to new "fur-ever" homes Sunday.

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More than a thousand people applied to take home 320 dogs. Of those applicants, 320 were drawn lottery-style on Thursday. Eighty alternates were also selected.

Litsa Ikonomou of Tarpon Springs was the first to adopt a puppy on Sunday morning at the All People's Life Center in Tampa.

"It was very emotional, seeing these dogs and the conditions they were in," Ikonomou said. "All of the work that’s been done to take them to this point. We’re very excited to help."

Diandra Shear of St. Petersburg was also among the first to be selected in the lottery and thus getting a chance to see the full selection. 

"I’m excited," Shear said. "Very excited. It was so hard to pick a dog out. I didn’t even see half of them. But I saw how cute one was and I knew she was the one," Shear said. 

The 320 puppies were seized from a Diana Street home back in September, living in poor, overcrowded conditions. They spent the past few months with Hillsborough County Pet Resources getting ready for this day.

After thousands of inquiries, the puppies and small dogs get a fresh start with a lucky new owner.

"It was luck of the draw. We thought it was just meant to be," Shear said.

Each lottery-selected applicant was given a window of time on Sunday to select the dog they wanted to take home.