A woman dedicated to connecting dogs in overcrowded shelters to their forever families through social media shared the heartbreaking reason why one canine had gashes on both of her arms.
Kels McDonough, who runs the McDonough Rescue, visited the South Los Angeles Animal Shelter when she came across a shelter dog, Carmela, still holding onto hope. Her heart immediately sank when she saw the Belgian Malinois in her kennel.
In her April 4 video posted to her account @kelsmcdonough_, the three-year-old dog stayed put in the back of her kennel on her bed. She didn’t bother getting up, assuming McDonough would continue on as she had experienced time and time again since being brought to the shelter in March.
McDonough told Newsweek via TikTok that Carmela came to the South LA Animal Shelter on March 23 as a stray. The animal shelter put her on a stray hold, which would give her owners a chance to reclaim her, but they never did. McDonough said that because she came in as a stray, the shelter does not know more of her backstory.
When McDonough stopped at Carmela’s kennel, the dog ran and jumped onto the grate. That’s when McDonough spotted the gashes on both arms. The wounds touched exactly where she placed her paws between the bars as she greeted McDonough.
She realized the gashes formed because Carmela waits all day with her paws in that position, hoping someone would notice her. She’s putting safety on the line to get an interaction with a human.
Along with her paws reaching out for help, Carmela’s eyes are filled with a saddness. It’s as if her eyes were begging to be saved from the shelter environment.
Screenshots from an April 4 TikTok video of a Belgian Malinois hanging onto the kennel crates as she waits for someone to adopt her.
@kelsmcdonough_/TikTok
TikTok viewers immediately burst into tears upon seeing the gashes on Carmela. As of Monday, the clip amassed over 372,600 views and 69,800 likes.
“She seems like such a sweet, playful soul, may God watch over her and help her find a loving home soon,” commented one person.
Another added: “This baby deserves the best loving forever home. She has endured far too much…”
Hoping for the right adopter, a third person wrote: “Please, though people, don’t try to adopt her just because you feel bad. Belgian [Malinois] NEED a lot of work and exercise!”
Thankfully, the power of social media worked in Carmela’s favor. Her adopters saw the video and immediately stepped up. Carmela’s new owner, known on TikTok as @collpowerss, commented on the video to update viewers that she and her husband adopted Carmela two days ago. They said she’s “SO sweet” and slept the entire first night in her forever home.
Newsweek reached out to @collpowerss via TikTok for additional information.
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