A video of a dog overcome with sadness because she thinks she is being driven back to the shelter—unaware that her life is about to completely change—has gone viral on TikTok.
A North Carolina animal shelter brought in a dog, Ruby, after she was found in Burlington in March. She’s since been shy, slowly settling into her new environment and waiting for a forever home. To help ease the dog’s stress, Haleigh, who is known on TikTok as @haleighcw_xx, recently took Ruby out of the shelter and home with her for a “sleepover.”
Animal shelters are incorporating programs such as doggy day outs, sleepovers and short-term fosters to help give these canines a break from the stressful shelter environment, an article from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stated.
A single night out of the shelter significantly reduces a dog’s cortisol levels. Those canines on brief outings are five times more likely to be adopted than euthanized and 14 times more likely to be adopted if in temporary foster care.
Screenshots from a May 2 TikTok video of a sad dog who thought she was going back to the animal shelter.
@haleighcw_xx/TikTok
After only one night with Ruby, Haleigh knew she couldn’t let her go back to Burlington Animal Services. She wanted to make Ruby hers forever. But to do that, she needed to go back to the shelter to sign adoption paperwork, get a microchip and have her go through a final checkup.
Ruby sat in the back of Haleigh’s car with a look of defeat in a May 2 TikTok video. Her ears pinned back and her eyes stared at Haleigh, begging her not to make that drive back to the shelter. The dog had zero clue it was her freedom ride.
The caption reads: “I knew as soon as I took her out of the shelter, I wouldn’t be able to return this sweet baby. Welcome to the family, Ruby.”
Newsweek reached out to @haleighcw_xx via TikTok for additional comment.
In a follow-up video, the owner shared that despite Ruby being shy and sleepy, she’s significantly opened up after just 48 hours. Ruby “nearly yanked” the leash from the shelter worker once she realized she was going home.
TikTok viewers immediately fell in love with Ruby, cheering for her happy ending, and within three days of posting, the video amassed more than 2.3 million views.
“Her little eyes look so sad here. I’m glad her found her home with you,” wrote one person, while another demanded: “Well, tell her right now… I can’t take that face.”
A third person commented: “I wish we could tell them they are safe! Although they will soon realize it, I hate that they worry even for a bit, thank you!!!!”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
