The number of upset and bewildered animals that owners abandon in shelters is astounding.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that dogs make up roughly 6.5 million of the US’s abandoned pets each year.
Happily, half of these animals are adopted; the other half are either abandoned to live out their final years alone in a small cage or, worse yet, are put to death to make place for further abandoned animals that have a higher chance of finding new homes.
Animals kept in shelters don’t get the care, affection, and exercise they require despite having considerably better living conditions than stray animals on the streets. These dogs come in a variety of shapes and sizes that will appeal to different families.
*When this image of a dog in a New Mexico shelter waiting to be adopted went viral, many people said it was the saddest image they had ever seen.
The picture of the woman working at the High Plains Humane Society (HPHS) in Portales, New Mexico, who appeared to be inconsolable caught the attention of animal lovers all over the world.
The dejected dog perfectly conveys the sense of loneliness these animals go through when they are kept in a shelter among strangers.
While grasping the bars of the cage, she turns to face the camera and appears to be crying.
Millions of people who were moved by her suffering shared her picture, despite the fact that animal experts pointed out that this can’t be a tear because dogs don’t cry when they’re distressed; instead, they make a whelping noise.
Adoption requests flooded in, and in just one day, a kind family adopted this pitiful dog. A pure ecstatic smile took the place of her tears.
It’s possible that the shelter’s release of images of a puppy before and after the adoption gave us all hope that these abandoned animals can find loving homes.
It is important for everyone to remember that caring for a dog is a lot of work and should not be taken lightly. Never should an animal have to experience the suffering of abandonment.
