The shelter is not a place for a dog and we all know it. Unfortunately, so many of our canine fellows are forced to spend their best days behind the kennel bars.
Even when the shelter has all the necessary conditions, it is not easy for a dog to stay there for a long period of time. Then, you can only imagine how canines who are forced to be in an unconditional shelter for tens or even hundreds of days feel.
Sadly, just such a heartbreaking story comes from a shelter in Austin, Texas.
“He Looks Defeated”
PR of Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) shelter in Texas said in his interview for Newsweek that a Great Pyrenees named Spinach came to their shelter on May 20, 2023 with a ruptured eye when he was just two months old.
Immediately after that, their vets removed the eye successfully and he came back to the shelter at the end of November due to “him showing some resource guarding.”
“Spinach was in a kennel all last summer – just a puppy back then. Today, as temps hit triple digits, he’s still in that kennel, once again exposed to the dangerous heat,” APA! wrote in the caption of the TikTok video posted on August 7, 2024.
@austinpetsalive Spinach was in a kennel all last summer – just a puppy back then. Today, as temps hit triple digits, he’s still in that kennel, once again exposed to the dangerous heat. We need your help to give #greatpyrenees Spinach some relief in this scorching weather. This week, we need to replace fans like the one above Spinach’s kennel, put up shade cloths, and make repairs to our HVAC system and other parts of our worn-out facilities. Could you help? Thanks to generous anonymous donors, your gift today will be DOUBLED up to $28,000 to help us buy cooling supplies like… 🐶 Kennel fans – $150 each ❄️ Kennel mister compressors – $2,500 each 🌳 Shade cloths – $30 each 🧊 Bagged ice (15 bags/day) – $45 per day 💧 Gatorade/other items to support people in the heat – $25 per day To help pets like Spinach now, visit the link in our bio. 🐾 Can’t donate but want to help? Sign up to foster or adopt today! #austinpetsalive #austintx #texasheat #shelterdog #beforeandafter ♬ оригинальный звук – Bah Rouz
In this heartbreaking video, they showed Spinach when he was just three months old, and after that, on his 432th day of stay in the shelter.
The comment of one TikTok user best describes this poor dog’s situation. “He looks defeated,” the user wrote.
Although Spinach didn’t remove the smile from his face and did not stop radiating positive energy during his entire stay in the shelter, potential adopters unfortunately kept avoiding him.
That’s why this poor dog has to suffer in the unbearable conditions of the shelter once again and gather at least a bit of strength to believe that the future will be brighter.
Hope For A Better Future
The situation in all shelters across the country is difficult, but in Austin, it is particularly hard. This is especially the case this summer as the heat is unbearable.
“Our facility is crumbling, and while we have plans to rebuild it, we have to fundraise, which will take a few years,” Sanchez said. “For now, our kennels are outside. We utilize fans, misters, swamp coolers, and other techniques to bring the temps down and keep them safe, but it’s not as comfortable as a home. We would love any donations on our wishlist, monetary donations to help us out. Most importantly, we are looking for fosters and adoptees for dogs like Spinach to give them a cool, comfortable home.”
However, despite all the difficulties, they still believe that someone would open their heart and home to this (in his own way) beautiful dog. They describe him as house-trained, highly motivated by food, and a quick learner.
“He would do great with adults and older kids that can respect his space. He does great in the home and also does well with other dogs. He’s even our test dog that helps us evaluate dogs coming in,” Luis said.
We, on the other hand, hope that this viral reaction will yield results and that potential adopters will soon be waiting in line to give this special boy a home.
He deserves it more than everything.
