When a heartbroken fifteen-year-old dog was found aimlessly wandering the streets, he was admitted to Carson Animal Shelter in Los Angeles, California, right away.
Although the doggo was rescued from the lonely and miserable life on the streets, he felt utterly sorrowful when he found himself in a shelter kennel.
It looked like he had given up on himself. He curled up on the cold floor and didn’t even want to lift his head. His eyes seemed hopeless and his body exhausted.
Looking For A Way Out Of The Shelter
The shelter staff were surprised when they scanned the dog for a microchip and discovered that he had an owner. He was put on a stray hold.
Sara Yoder, a volunteer at the shelter, visited the senior dog. Having witnessed his sadness, she couldn’t help feeling devastated.
Yoder was convinced that the dog had never experienced happiness and she was resolved to help him.
The doggo didn’t even have a name. One of the shelter volunteers named him Fat Boy, but Yoder felt that the dog deserved a much better name.
Yoder regularly posts videos about shelter dogs who are at risk of being euthanized and she decided to spread the word about the senior dog on TikTok.
Once she shared a harrowing video about the doggo, it garnered massive attention.
The viewers were brokenhearted to see the sad and hopeless dog. Rescue groups and adopters reached out to Yoder and offered to help him.
Many people shared the dog’s story on social media, hoping that more exposure would help him get a second chance at life.
A Surprising Reunion
Just when the California shelter came up with a plan to pull the dog out, something surprising happened.
The dog’s owner arrived at the shelter in order to reclaim her dog. She shared that he had wandered away and gotten lost.
The woman told the shelter staff that she loved her dog deeply and wanted to take him home.
When the senior doggo saw his mom at the shelter, he began crying until the staff let him reunite with her.
The dog threw himself in his mom’s arms. Both were overjoyed to be together again.
Once the staff witnessed their emotional reunion, it became clear that the dog missed his mom just as much as she missed him.
He returned to his home, happy because he got reunited with his human.
Both he and his mom will forget the nightmare they endured and they will continue enjoying their time together and making new memories.
Yoder hopes that the attention that the fifteen-year-old dog attracts will inspire people to take action and help the shelter dogs who continue waiting at their kennels for someone to notice them.
All dogs deserve to enjoy life in a loving home – not to spend their time enduring heartbreak behind shelter walls.