Dogs Found Abandoned at Library Get New Start Together—'Love and Affection'

An animal control officer has shared the moment she found two dogs that had been abandoned together at a local library in a video posted to TikTok.

Left with nothing but an ant-filled bone, the older dog was tied to a concrete post and the younger pup willingly stayed there with him.

Shelter workers from the Humane Society of Greenwood took the two terrified dogs in and checked them over with the plan to re-home them together.

Samantha Brooks, the director of operations at the Humane Society of Greenwood, told Newsweek: "Both dogs were given proper vaccinations and medically evaluated to assess their medical situation. They were a little dehydrated, so they were given fluids. They had both been shaved in random spots all over their bodies, so their skin and fur was examined thoroughly.

"There was actually nothing wrong with their skin besides a little sunburn, so they were given soothing medical baths and rubbed down with aloe vera ointment. They were then placed in their kennels, given food, water, toys, and a comfy bed."

Despite being left alone at a library in Greenwood County, South Carolina, the two dogs were seeking comfort in each other.

Paula Stewart, director of the Animal Talent Agency, told Newsweek that bonded dogs are common. "Dogs are emotionally intelligent and can form strong bonds with other dogs, just like humans form strong bonds with friends or relatives. They rely upon each other and adore their time together in play, sleep, work or training and even feeding time," she said.

Statistics suggest that every year 6.5 million dogs, cats and other former pets are abandoned or lost in the United States and end up in shelters. Of these animals, only 3.2 million will be adopted to a new home.

When they arrived at the shelter, the dogs were separated to start with. "The dogs are different ages. It is unsafe for a puppy under 6 months old that has not received two DAPP vaccines. We had to assume that both dogs have never been vaccinated," said Brooks.

After two weeks in the shelter and fully up to date on vaccinations, the heartwarming moment that the dogs were reunited was caught on camera.

The older pit bull mix, super excited to see his friend, rushes forward with his tail wagging, with the TikTok video's text overlay reading: "They're going to have the best new start at life!!!"

"Bonding is most often seen in familial pairs—mother and child or litter mates—however, strong bonds are often formed with dogs who spend significant time together, such as living in a home, or if they have experienced trauma together, such as abandonment as in this video," Stewart said. "It isn't necessarily to do with breed or age, but rather circumstance and environment that form the inseparable bond."

In over 1,900 comments on the now viral video, people shared their reaction to the abandoned dogs.

"Some people are such a disappointment," one comment read. "The previous owners didn't deserve the love and affection these babies have."

"Please keep them together," commented another user.

While another wrote: "I just do not understand how someone could do this to such sweet babies."

But the story had a very happy ending. "Both dogs are thriving—happy, healthy, loved. They were adopted together by a local police officer," said Brooks. "The family came to our shelter to meet them, and just fell in love. We were all so thankful to them because these sweet babies deserved to be adopted together."

"It's super important that bonded dogs stay together where possible because their dependence on each other can cause issues if they become separated. Destructive behavior, refusal to eat, pacing and lethargy are all signs of deep stress and anxiety and are common behaviors seen when a bonded pair is separated," said Stewart. "For this reason, it is vitally important that each member of the bonded pair is worked with separately in training and play to build confidence so that they can cope when the other dog is away."

The video gained huge attention, and shelter worker Chelsea Hoover who shared the story was thrilled. "Chelsea wanted everyone to see that we advocate for every animal in our care, while being a resource to the community. That we do whatever we can to make sure the animals in our care have the best outcome possible," said Brooks.

"Our staff showed them all the love and attention they could, and their demeanor never changed throughout their stay at the Humane Society," she added. "We work hard to give any animal in our care the best life that we can while they are in our facility, and we strive to find them a home that will meet their needs, that will love them and make them part of the family."

Earlier this week, the owner of an animal sanctuary revealed the incredible story of how she managed to save an unwanted puppy from euthanasia. Tracy Bulino managed to prevent hound dog Nikki from being euthanized despite them already being part way through the process.

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.

Update 7/4/23, 3 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Samantha Brooks.

Correction 7/6/23, 2 a.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that the shelter is in South Carolina, not North Carolina as was previously listed.