Sad Dog Surrendered to Shelter After Owners Had a Baby, Then It All Changed

Dogs end up in shelters across the U.S. for all sorts of reasons, and while some get a second chance and find a forever home, others don’t.

One shelter dog who recently caught TikTok viewers’ attention is Snowflake, who was surrendered to Florida’s Humane Society of Broward County when her family decided they couldn’t have a dog and a baby at the same time.

In a video posted to its TikTok account, the Fort Lauderdale humane society said, “Snowflake is so sad. She really misses her family. Sadly this three year old sweetheart was given up because a new baby arrived in her house. Snowflake is a newer arrival at our shelter and is usually very playful.”

The humane society continued: “She is loving with everyone around her. She is good with other dogs and older children. Snowflake is crate-trained and knows sit and come. She likes to cuddle and likes to be around you. Snowflake is 70 pounds and does need to lose some weight. Due to her weight, she has thickening in both knee joints. She will need joint supplements and weight loss to help take pressure off her joints.”

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, at 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 this past January, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, 24Petwatch’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 using behavior rehabilitation.

“Snowflake is a beautiful 3-year-old American bulldog mix that is full of happy energy,” Broward County’s humane society told Newsweek.

“All of the staff and volunteers love her. Sadly, this sweetheart was given up because a new baby arrived in her house, so she found herself in a noisy shelter wondering what happened. Snowflake is usually very playful and loving with everyone around her, but she became depressed very quickly in the shelter environment.”

In a happy update, the humane society said that Snowflake has recently been adopted. “This was made possible by the Dolly’s Dream project, which paid for her adoption fee. Snowflake was so happy to get in the car with her new family and go home.”

While Snowflake may have got her happy ending, the humane society has plenty of other dogs that are waiting to get adopted.

“Five-year-old Scrappy is a friendly, 72-pound fellow who loves getting pets and being with people,” the shelter said.

It went on: “We don’t know how he got the scars on his face, but what we do know is that he is affectionate, curious and calm and has eyes that will melt your heart. Sadly, he is completely overlooked by adopters because of his size so has now been in our shelter for months. Scrappy enjoys going for walks and loves getting treats. He’s not so into playing with toys. He’d rather just be where you are.”

The shelter also has Ana, a 2-year-old who was found by an officer on the exit ramp of a busy interstate highway, “possibly dumped by someone who wanted to get away quickly.”

“Ana appears to have been a recent momma, but sadly an extensive search found no puppies nearby,” the humane society said. “She is safe with us now, but our clinic discovered an issue with her salivary glands so had to perform surgery. Due to this, her tongue will stick out, which makes this sweet girl even more adorable.

“Ana is new to our shelter and is still quite nervous. We do not know how she is with other pets, but she absolutely loves people and gets attached very quickly,” the shelter said.

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