Sonia Breslow thought she might be getting a convertible for her 60th birthday.
She even suspected which one -- a Bugatti roadster, a European beauty that can hit more than 200 mph. Breslow even called a local dealership asking if one had been sold in Arizona recently.
When her husband found out about her snooping, he was delighted. Even a bit smug.
"I could have gotten her something material like that, and it would have been nice," John Breslow said.
Instead, he got her a legacy.
On Saturday, the gift he had managed to keep secret for more than two years was revealed when a black tarp dropped from the front of a just-finished building.
Large blue letters spelled out Sonia Breslow Adoption Center, soon to house more than 150 dogs and cats that otherwise would not have had a chance.
"I can't believe this is all for me; this is overwhelming," said a teary-eyed Sonia, a lifetime animal lover and owner of two Chinese shar-peis. "It's over the top."