Hearts have shattered after hearing why a dog was returned to the shelter only an hour later.
Heather Gee, a shelter volunteer who uses her TikTok account @heathersshelterpals to help connect California animals with their forever homes, recently shared the heartbreaking story of S’mores. The happy 1-year-old Anatolian shepherd weighs about 78 pounds, which is on the smaller side for this breed. The dogs can weigh from 80 to 150 pounds. But his size was too much for the adopter.
S’mores excitedly went off to what was supposed to be his forever home on January 25, only six days after being brought in as a stray. But the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA) workers in Modesto, California, were surprised to see him walk back in their doors one hour later.
For no fault of his own, S’mores was returned to the shelter for “being too big.”
@heathersshelterpals/TikTok
Nadia Borisova, a SASA Rescue Support Team volunteer along with Gee, shared with Newsweek that S’mores was being held by a good Samaritan who took notes that he was a friendly, loving dog before originally getting dropped off at the animal shelter.
When he was returned to the shelter after the failed adoption, S’mores was confused, as he did nothing wrong. He wasn’t the only one stunned by the return.
Shocked viewers flooded the comment section with questions as their frustration grew from watching the clip. As of Wednesday, the TikTok video had over 1.1 million views, 176,800 likes and 2,865 comments.
“What is wrong with people?! It’s not like his size changed in an hour! He’s adorable and deserves better,” a viewer asked.
Another added: “What? So sorry S’mores, you deserve better, and hopefully soon!
S’mores was moved from the shelter to a nonprofit rescue known on Instagram as @notyouraveragerescueinc, and, thankfully, he has been matched with an adopter.
Each year, some 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, 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 to January 2022, 24Pet’s “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.
Borisova noted that the overpopulation in California’s Central Valley is beyond control. The problem SASA deals with is that many in the predominantly agricultural area do not spay or neuter their pets.
“Thus, approximately 7,000 animals are processed through the shelter each year,” Borisova said. “An issue lies in the shelter’s lack of control over the intake of law enforcement dogs and stray dogs, which they are obligated to accept as a municipal animal control agency due to state regulations.”
The shelter’s estimated daily intake is 18 to 20 dogs. SASA is hoping to get more reliable fosters and adopters, as well as more resources such as veterinarians and spay and neuter collaborations.
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.