Carlie is a one-year-old German Shepherd mix that arrived at the Humane Society of Broward County when she was just a small puppy.
She had a rough start to her life, which resulted in her being shy, fearful, and very timid.
Due to her timid nature, she was sadly constantly overlooked by any potential adopter because she would always hide from everyone, making her almost invisible.
Meet ‘The Invisible Dog’
When sweet Carlie first came to the shelter in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they immediately noticed she was incredibly scared.
They didn’t know what she had been through, but living as a street dog had definitely made an impact on this poor girl.
She was nervous and timid from the moment she arrived at the shelter, and the more she stayed there, the more she started to go into her shell.
Carlie started to hide in the back of her kennel where she felt safe and where she couldn’t be seen, so she was constantly overlooked by potential adopters passing by.
“She was so well hidden that she became known as the invisible dog,” Susan Leonti from the Humane Society of Broward County told The Dodo.
She quickly became one of the longest residents at the shelter waiting for a family – a part of the “Left Out” dogs.
Although Carlie was very gentle and had a lot of love to offer, her staying in the back of her kennel made it very difficult for people to see her and get to know her true side.
Coming Out Of Her Shell
Everyone at the shelter loved Carlie, and it broke their heart seeing her like that.
“When we realized she was avoiding people and getting overlooked by adopters, we immediately moved her to our most public kennel and began working with her every day on getting socialized,” Susan said.
Carlie slowly started to come out of her shell, and they could see her improvement. “Carlie began to associate people with things that she enjoys, like getting treats and receiving affection,” Susan added.
Although she was now more open and actually engaging with the people passing by rather than hiding in the back of the kennel, Carlie was still not getting adopted.
“Even though we were seeing progress in Carlie’s behavior, she was still incredibly shy and very hidden compared to the other dogs in our shelter,” Susan said.
Carlie celebrated her first birthday in the shelter, and spent almost 180 days there without getting adopted or having any applications.
She was sadly still ‘The Invisible Dog’.
So, the Florida shelter thought of putting a sign on her kennel that would hopefully get people to stop and notice her for the first time ever.
Although heartbreaking, ‘The Invisible Dog’ sign seemed to do the trick.
@humanebroward Please share for Carlie 🥺🙏 Carlie has been waiting for a home for almost half a year 💔 That’s longer than any other dog at our shelter 😔 Sadly, Carlie used to hide in the back of her kennel, where adopters could not see her, so she went overlooked for months. She was so hidden that she became known as the invisible dog 💔 Well, we’ve been working with Carlie every day with positive reinforcement and we moved her to our most public kennel to help socialize her, and guess what? This sweet girl is slowly coming out of her shell! 🙏🥹 Carlie is now learning to trust and is coming to the front of her kennel. She’s even getting the courage to ask for treats with her paw! ☺️ Carlie is what we call a “Pup in Progress” and she is coming along so well! She is a young girl, only 1 years-old. She has so much life ahead of her and plenty of time to become the confident dog she really wants to be. Now, all Carlie needs is an adopter or foster family that will let her continue her progress at her own pace, but in the comfort of a loving home. Can you adopt or foster dear Carlie? 🙏❤️ If you cannot adopt or foster, please share Carlie’s post! 🙏 Carlie’s adoption fee has kindly been sponsored by @JRDUNN JEWELERS To meet her, please start by submitting an application online (link is in bio) then come on in. We’re open 7 days a week. The Humane Society of Broward County is located at 2070 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Adoptions open at 11am. Call 954-989-3977 ext. 6 with any questions ❤️ #rescuedog #shelterdog #adoptme #adoptdontshop #humanebroward #fortlauderdale #florida #dogvideos #southflorida #miami #browardcounty #miamidade #dogs #dogoftheday #dogsoftiktok #dogshelter #animalshelter #fyp #foryou #shepherd #shepherdmix #shepherdsoftiktok #germanshepherdmix #pupsinprogress #shydog #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Humane Society Broward County
She Is No Longer The Shelter’s ‘Invisible Dog’
As soon as the Humane Society of Broward County posted about Carlie and her sign, everything changed.
The heartbreaking video quickly went viral, gaining over a million views on Facebook alone.
Only a couple of days after, Carlie was adopted. The shelter posted an update on their Facebook:
“Well, Carlie’s new parents definitely noticed her and it was love at first sight! They were forwarded her video online by a friend and they saw that Carlie had so much potential. They drove all the way from Lee County, FL, because they knew they could give Carlie the safe and loving home she needed to thrive in.”
I’m so happy to hear that Carlie has managed to find the perfect home after waiting at the shelter for almost 180 days.
@humanebroward Carlie was adopted!! 🙌❤️ She’s no longer our “Invisible Dog”! 🙏 Carlie had been waiting at our shelter for almost 180 days, but due to her fear and shyness, she was rarely noticed by adopters 💔 Well, Carlie’s new parents definitely noticed her and it was love at first sight! 💞 They were forwarded her video online by a friend and they saw that Carlie had so much potential 🙏 They drove all the way from Lee County, FL because they knew they could give Carlie the safe and loving home she needed to thrive in ❤️ They even sent us an update photo and a message saying “Carlie is doing absolutely great!”, “It’s only been two days and she is already starting to bloom.” We’re so happy for Carlie and so grateful to her new parents! ❤️ Happy Friday! ☺️ To adopt one of our wonderful pets, please fill out a pre-adoption application (link in bio) and come on in today ❤️ The Humane Society of Broward County is located at 2070 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL and opens daily at 11 a.m. If you have any questions call 954-989-3977 ext. 6 ❤️ If you can’t adopt, please consider donating to our shelter through the link in our bio ❤️ #adopted #goinghome #dogrescue #adoptdontshop #humanebroward #rescuedog #dogsoftiktok #dogvideos #dog #shelterdog #dogshelter #home #germanshepherdmix #shepherdmix #fyp #foryou #feelgood #happydog #happyday #friday #friyay #tgif #happyfriday #wholesome #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Humane Society Broward County
Carlie’s new pawrents say that “Carlie is doing absolutely great! It’s only been two days and she is already starting to bloom.”
Enjoy the new life, sweet girl. You’ve deserved it!
