A dog foster carer has broken hearts after sharing the story of her current dog, who has been let down by so many people that she doesn’t know how to relax.
In the heartbreaking clip, shared on TikTok on Wednesday, under the username @thekatielally, the pup can be seen slowly opening up to her foster carer, learning how to trust people again.
The poster, Katie Lally, told Newsweek that Christmas Spectacular was saved from a kill shelter alongside many other dogs last Sunday.
Katie said: “[She] is the sweetest, most loving girl you’ll ever meet. She asked Santa for a forever home this year and came up north for that wish to come true. Since arriving in NYC, she has adapted great to her new city life. She walks outside on a leash, no problem, and doesn’t get overwhelmed by all the new noises and people.
“Her tail wags on walks around her new neighborhood as she meets people and dog friends. Inside, she is a complete cuddle-bug. All she wants to do is curled up next to you. She has small bursts of playtime with toys and loves a good bone. She is very gentle in the way she receives treats and is working on learning tricks,” Katie said.
“She has been doing well sleeping in her crate at night or when her foster mom has to go to work. She is the perfect-size pup; not too big or not too small. She knows to go to the bathroom outside. She will ‘talk’ to you when she is excited by whimpering.”
The TikTok post comes with a caption that reads: “Foster dog that just left the shelter, learning love and safety for the first time ever. All she wants is love and comfort in this moment. So many people have let her down she doesn’t know how to relax. But that’s okay, cry it out, I’ve got time. She is available for adoption and looking for her forever home through Waldo’s Rescue Pen.”
It is followed by: “Unfiltered reality of fostering, this is 2-year-old Callie (foster name Christmas Spectacular on the adoption site). Consider opening up your home to fostering! These babies are scared and any little bit of love helps.”
Shelters across the country are overwhelmed with dogs of all kinds, but some of them end up in there far more than others. The most commonly found dogs in shelters are pit bulls, followed by Labrador retrievers and German shepherds, according to the Pedigree website. Surprisingly, dachshunds and Chihuahuas are also common dogs to find in shelters.
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.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 703,000 views and almost 120,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Desiree Yanez, commented: “I would foster fail every time and end up with a 100 dogs.” And BUhrandi posted: “Ugh sweet baby, animals deserve so much more.”
Enriette added: “Now that is the sound of pure gratitude. I love you Christmas Spectacular.”
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.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2023, 7:32 AM.
source: star-telegram
