Everything has to come to an end at a certain point, and partings are the most painful.
One of the most heartbreaking is definitely the separation of a dog from its beloved family. But sometimes, it just has to be.
After 11 happy years with her family, a dog named Pretty Girl suddenly found herself in a cold and noisy shelter and looking for a new home.
Fortunately, this senior dog did not have to wait long for a happy ending, and the reason will amaze you.
Noisy Shelter Wasn’t Her Thing
This 11-year-old dog suddenly found herself in an unknown environment… at the Seattle Humane Shelter, surrounded by other loud dogs, which this girl was not used to.
“Pretty Girl was surrendered to a shelter in Central Washington by her original owners after 11 years due to ongoing stress caused by a new baby in the home. We brought her to Seattle Humane through our Lifesaver Rescue transfer program on Oct. 24,” Brandon Macz, Seattle Humane’s PR & social media specialist, told PEOPLE.
11 years in a warm home with loved ones is certainly a lifetime for a dog. No wonder this girl was “shut down” when she came to the shelter.
Nevertheless, she quickly won the hearts of almost all employees at the shelter, and her affectionate looks especially won Macz over.
“The way she looked at me, I couldn’t resist going into her kennel and sitting with her. It was surprising how quickly she climbed into my lap and sought attention,” he recalls.
It was love at first sight and Macz couldn’t help but do everything in his power to help this dog.
The Video Melted People’s Hearts
As Macz was a social media specialist at the shelter, he decided to record a video with Pretty Girl and publish it on all the shelter’s media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
She was a senior dog, and it is more difficult for such dogs to find a new home, so he thought that this move would make it much easier for her to reach her desired goal. He couldn’t have been more correct.
The video had a “positive response” on both Instagram and Facebook, while it experienced a “boom” on TikTok. In just a few days, it had several hundred thousand views.
This heart-warming video shows Pretty Girl sitting on Macz’s lap. He tells her that she will soon find a loving family and her look melts hearts.
@seattlehumane Not everyone goes home forever 😓#adoptme #animalshelter #seattle #seniordog #shelterdog #foryou #dogsoftiktok #adoptdontshop ♬ My Love Mine All Mine – Mitski
Although some comments were aimed at the callousness of her previous owners, most of them were positive. Soon, people all over the country quickly started contacting the shelter, wanting to adopt this sweet doggo.
“She had plenty of suitors from all over the country emailing or calling into our adoption team, claiming they were ready to buy a plane ticket to get to Pretty Girl,” Macz said proudly.
It was only a matter of time before the right one appeared.
It Was Her Ticket To A New Home
Pretty Girl’s new parents heard about her from Seattle Humanes’ Facebook post. They were a lovely older couple who could provide her with a calm, loving environment.
The people in the shelter, especially her beloved Macz, were overjoyed and very proud.
They published a video in which they are saying “goodbye” to Pretty Girl. It was, at the same time, both heartbreaking and the happiest moment for Macz and the other people at the shelter.
Soon after that, Pretty Girl’s new mom, Judith Sugiura, posted an update on Facebook, stating: “She loves car rides, follows me around everywhere, is settling in. After a warm and cuddly night she is wagging her tail this morning and has eaten so I think she will be well settled in a few days. She likes full body contact and rolled on her back this morning for tummy scratches. She has a tender heart I think and will sit on my lap and put her head on my shoulder. So glad we got the opportunity to bring her home.”
Sooner than they had expected, Pretty Girl had her happiest ending, and the shelter will remain just one short stop in her life that she had to go through.
But, at the same time, it will stay in her fondest memory because it was the station where she got her ticket to a new life.
