'Family Dog' Looking for Home After Owners Move House and Surrender Him
Two screenshots from the viral video of Charlie, the dog, stretching in his enclosure.
A 5-year-old dog is looking for a new home after his owners moved and did not take him along.
Charlie currently resides at Humane Society of Broward County in Dania Beach, Florida, after spending his life with a family.
Cherie Wachter, the shelter's vice president of marketing, told Newsweek: "If you have room in your heart and home, please consider adopting a pet instead of buying. You will be saving a life."
On Tuesday, a video of Charlie and another dog named Birdie went viral on Instagram (@humanebroward) and racked up 192,000 views. The footage shows both pit bull mixes patiently waiting at their enclosure door, their spirits high as they wag their tails.
"Both of these dogs, as well as all the others waiting in shelters, just want families to love," Wachter said.
An extract from the caption describes black-and-white Charlie as a "great family dog" who loved to hang out with his previous owners. He requires a home that will shower him with love and attention.
According to the Shelter Animals Count National Database, owner surrenders have slightly decreased, but this may be due to shelters being at full capacity and unable to accept new pets. Stray intakes, on the other hand, have increased by 5 percent from 2022 and 23 percent from 2021. This shift suggests that some dogs entering shelters as strays are actually abandoned pets whose owners can no longer care for them.
Wachter told Newsweek that 1-year-old Birdie's history is unknown as she was transferred from another shelter.
She said: "Birdie arrived June 6 and is a bit shy. She is very friendly but doesn't walk on a leash. She will need a patient family who can devote time to her so she can settle into her new home.
"Birdie is heartworm positive so her new adopter must be willing to bring her back to the shelter for her treatment. The shelter covers the cost of this life-saving treatment."
This isn't the only cost that will be covered—both adoption fees will be covered by Dolly's Dream, a Florida-based pit bull rescue program. While this is great news for the potential adopter, Instagram users are unimpressed with the reason Charlie is there. At the time of writing, the video has amassed more than 29,400 likes and 400 comments.
"I'll never accept someone moving and using that as an excuse to surrender them. That's 1,000 percent on the person, and they made that decision. Pets are in your life until they pass, period. If you cannot accept that, do not own any pet. Ever," said one user.
Another said: "Who gives up a dog bc they are moving!?!!!? I don't understand! I wouldn't consider a moving to a place without my dog. I have trouble going on vaca and leaving my dogs in boarding!!!!! Ya I could never ever"
A third commenter wrote: "Gosh I pray they get their caring, loving, active family! They deserve so much..."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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