Dog Returned To Shelter by 'Only Family' He's Ever Known After 8 Years

After knowing his only family for eight years, one dog was left sad and confused when they dropped him off at an animal shelter.

Hearts shattered after people saw Max sitting in a kennel at the Pennsylvania SPCA's Philadelphia location. The July 6 TikTok clip posted by @sarahbrown701, which brought in over 2.2 million views, shows Max tucked to the side of the kennel hunched over. His eyes glaze over his new environment.

The dog's body language explained everything you would need to know about his feelings on the situation: scared, worried, disoriented. His family brought him home as a puppy and for eight years he stuck by their side. The text on the clip explained they were his "only family." But now, his whole world turned upside down.

The video poster Sarah shared with Newsweek via TikTok that Max's previous owners surrendered him due to "unexpected housing changes."

Unfortunately, Max is not the only dog to find themselves transferred to an animal shelter after experiencing a life of love and comfort.

Each year 6.3 million pets enter 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.

Other reasons why owners make the heartbreaking decision to surrender their animals include significant lifestyle changes such as a new job, the arrival of a baby, divorce, relocating, behavioral issues or financial struggles.

The good news is that Max has a potential adopter in the works. Max should be with his new family soon enough, as long as everything goes to plan and the timeline works out, Sarah said.

'Doesn't Deserve This'

The heartbreaking TikTok clip reached over 2.2 million views, 439,300 likes and 4,697 comments within three days of posting.

"I just can't imagine loving a baby for 8 years and discarding them as if it were nothing, leaving them confused and scared," said a viewer, while a second chimed in: "He doesn't deserve this."

Another added: "Omg he went from a comfy couch in a warm house to the chaos of a shelter..."

Hopeful a positive outcome will come for Max, one person wrote: "How could people do this? Ugh, I know he will find a new family that loves him forever."

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