After this rescue organization sadly lost one of their most-loved dogs, who spent his life in a kennel, they decided to host an adoption event to find loving homes for their other canines. But when the big day finally came, not a single person showed up.
The Foundation for Animal Protection Füzesabony (FAPF) is a volunteer-based rescue center in Hungary that takes in cats and dogs from the streets or from abusive situations and tries to find them a home. At present, they have 40 dogs living in foster homes waiting to be adopted, so they decided to put on a special event to help them find forever homes.
Reka, the adoption and foster coordinator at FAPF, told Newsweek that they said goodbye to Csoki, who was in kennels for many years without ever receiving any interest.
Rekasaid that they organized the event “in his honor” so other dogs could get the second chance that Csoki never got. “We wanted it to be in Csoki’s memory so that his loss would be meaningful and at least save one other dog,” she added.
FAPF planned to have 11 dogs at the event, and the idea was that people could come and meet them away from a stressful kennel environment, and go on a walk with them. There were volunteers on hand to go hiking with them and show the public how wonderful these rescue dogs are.
At least—that was the plan.
FAPF had even mapped out a hiking route especially for attendees to follow, but sadly, nobody showed up.
“The hope was that at least one person would fall in love and adopt one of these dogs,” Reka added. “We didn’t have a huge expectation for the attendance, but we thought at least 10 to 15 people would show up. We never imagined that no one would come, so that was extremely disappointing, especially because we really wanted to honor Csoki.”
After waiting a while for people to arrive, the volunteers at FAPF decided all their hard work shouldn’t go to waste, so they went ahead with the hike. After all, the dogs were wearing fresh new collars and harnesses, so they needed to show them off.
Each volunteer took a dog and hiked along the path together, and Reka said they had an amazing time, despite the circumstances. The hike lasted around two hours, taking in a beautiful trail in the Hungarian countryside; the dogs got to swim in the river, and even do some digging in the fields.
“The dogs had the most amazing time and had no idea that we were all a bit sad. We just decided to focus on them and let them enjoy to it,” Reka told Newsweek.
“Many of these dogs have been living in the kennels for years with no interest due to their breed or because they come with a heavy past. This was maybe the best day of their lives, which is wonderful and very sad, all at once. The event didn’t turn out as we wished, but our dogs had a wonderful day, and we are sure Csoki was watching from above.”
The rescue dogs during the hike with volunteers for FAPF. It was hoped that people would meet the dogs and fall in love, but sadly not a single person showed up.
@fapf_hungary / TikTok
The Social Media Reaction
Footage from the adoption event was shared on TikTok (@fapf_hungary) highlighting that “no one showed up” to meet the dogs. The video has left many people in tears since it was posted, generating more than 37,900 views and over 10,200 likes on TikTok in just a number of days.
Sadly, the social-media attention hasn’t led to any adoption interest yet, but Reka said she hopes it will at least raise awareness for “the forgotten dogs,” such as the bully breeds.
“These dogs are my heart and passion—the misunderstood dogs who deserve a chance,” Reka said. “We are a group of extremely passionate volunteers who put everything into the fight against the animal welfare crisis in this country. Most days are tough, but some can be wonderful, especially when our dogs find loving homes.”
Many social-media users were horrified to find out that no one turned up for the adoption event, leading to almost 1,500 comments on the viral TikTok video.
One comment reads: “It hurts my heart to read this. Praying these beautiful pups are given a chance at an amazing life and find loving forever homes.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “Oh no, but thanks to your regular volunteers. Real amazing people.”
A third person added: “This breaks my heart. Thank you for everything you do for these gorgeous babies.”
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