A heartbreaking video about a dog that was “dumped” at a shelter by the family he had been with for more than a decade has left the internet in tears.
The video was posted by @thatdoggirl, who is an animal rescuer in South Florida, according to their TikTok profile. The clip has amassed a million views since it was shared on Tuesday.
The footage shows a hand gently caressing the head of the pup, who is a senior dog, according to a hashtag shared with the post.
A note overlaid on the clip says: “Ammo lived with his family for 13 years. Their baby stepped on his tail and he bit the baby. They dumped him at the shelter. He’s so confused and scared. Please help him find a forever home. He’s a good boy.”
A caption shared with the post reads: “So incredibly unfair. He cried and cried at the door when they left.”
Ammo’s reaction to being left behind comes as no surprise as the unique relationship between adult dogs and their owners “bears a remarkable resemblance to an infant attachment bond,” according to a May 2013 study published in PLOS One.
“Dogs are dependent on human care and their behavior seems specifically geared to engage their owners’ care-giving system,” the study says.
Around 6.3 million companion animals arrive at shelters across the United States every year, including around 3.1 million are dogs, according to 2019 data compiled by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Among the biggest stressors for canines in animal shelters is social isolation, said a March 2019 study in PeerJ.
Previous research has shown that “human interaction reduces cortisol in shelter dogs, with the possibility that longer periods of interaction may yield greater effects,” the study said.
According to the study, the shelter dogs’ “cortisol [a hormone regulating stress]: creatinine ratios dropped significantly during their fostering stay, but returned to baseline levels after [their] return to the shelter.”
‘Poor Baby’
The viral video has broken the hearts of users on TikTok, with some volunteering to adopt Ammo, while others criticized his owners.
Cristy Rivera said: “I’m in Orlando and I will take him,” and Karla said: “Where is he???? I’ll take him.”
“I live in south Florida and I filled out an application for this sweet old man!!” noted user5625623992280.
Shannon Richards wrote: “poor baby he’s not even mean he’s just got scared.”
MarciaJ said: “What? That’s terrible that they abandoned him for a normal reaction after 13 years!”
JohnnyD echoed the disapproval, noting: “the internal rage I am feeling and heartbreak all at the same time.”
User @hidalgohund said: “it’s always the dog’s fault instead of the humans fault. poor dog.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
A stock image of a dog laying on a floor appearing sad. A video about a dog that was “dumped” at a shelter by a family he had been with for 13 years has gone viral on TikTok.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
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