A dog rescue center has broken hearts all over the internet after showing what it looks like when you abandon your dog, in a clip that has since gone viral on social media.
In the video, shared on TikTok on Monday, under the username Thefabfiverescuedogs, a dog who was recently dropped off and abandoned by her owner for being too “annoying and needy,” can be seen sitting by the door, waiting for her owners to come back for her, but she doesn’t know that they never will.
The heartbreaking post comes with a caption that says: “This is what it looks like when you decide you don’t want your dog after two years, and drop her off at a shelter. They frantically paw at the door, and look everywhere for you.
“She then laid with her things thinking you would be right back to get her. She checked the door for over an hour, still hopeful that you were coming back to take her home. Now the rescue gets to comfort her, and pick up the pieces of her broken heart, all because she was ‘too much work’ and you didn’t want to deal with her.”
The caption went on to explain that rescues and shelters are overwhelmed with stories just like this every single day, and most are drowning in dogs, with no end in sight.
“It’s heartbreaking to watch this happen to these dogs over and over again. Dogs have feelings too. She is safe, but many dogs are literally dying to make it out of the shelters.”
All dogs hate seeing their owners leave, even if you’re just leaving for five minutes to go get groceries, and that’s because in their head every time you leave them, you may be gone forever.
Science website IFL Science says that dogs experience a considerable amount of stress when their owner is gone, and when they are under a lot of stress, their heart rate, respiratory functions, and levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, are also likely to be impacted.
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to 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 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.
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The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 1.1 million views and 113,300 likes on the platform.
One user, Chessavieux, commented: “As someone struggling with a 12-week-old puppy, I get it. I’m tired. I’ve cried. But there is no universe where I could give him up.” And Araisin7253 said: “I cannot fathom this. If my boys end up in a shelter, it means I’m dead.”
Onatahdachshunds added: “If they surrendered her for that reason then she is better off with someone else. Her broken heart will heal and she’ll be so happy.”
Newsweek reached out to Thefabfiverescuedogs for comment via TikTok chat. We could not verify the details of the case.
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
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.