A foster carer has shared the heartwarming moment she takes a mother dog and her seven puppies home.
On October 8, Whitney Fang, using the handle @fosterdogsoftexas, shared a montage of videos showing adorable puppies and their mom in an overcrowded Texas-based shelter. So far, the clip has 1.6 million views and more than 277,000 likes.
She immediately struck up a friendship with the dogs, who couldn’t help but jump all over her. They became “instant besties,” according to Fang, who also promises they’ll never end up in a shelter again.
Whitney Fang/TikTok/@fosterdogsoftexas
Sadly, this is the reality for many animals in the U.S. as 6.3 million pets are surrendered to shelters yearly, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found. Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year.
Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
According to an 2021-2022 American Pet Products Association Survey, there are 90.5 million households with pets and just 8 percent of them have foster pets.
Temporarily taking care of an animal while they look for a forever home can be hugely rewarding.
More than 1,120 TikTok users have commented on the video and many praise Fang for helping the dogs.
One user said: “Thank you for saving them.”
“I’m so happy to see that even at 170% capacity those dogs look healthy and happy. Great work from all the workers!” said another comment.
On Friday, Fang uploaded a video of the puppies to her Instagram account that shows the pups playing in the backyard.
The clip captioned: “An entire family found together in the shelter, now thriving in foster. Mama Ferry and her babies are almost ready to go home! Adopt,” has more than 44,000 views.
In the comments, Fang said: “Mama was ready to be separated from her babies soon after we rescued the family. She is already ADOPTED! Her puppies had to do a little bit more growing, but it’s their turn next.”
Fang has encouraged people interested in the pups to contact Hearts and Bones Rescue based in Dallas.
Sadly, not all dogs have the opportunity to stay with a fosterer. Some are forced to wait in a shelter and one dog called Bear spent five months without a single visit before being adopted.
Newsweek has contacted Whitney Fang via Instagram for comment.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.