Although many scientists and canine experts have been having a lively debate for a long time about whether dogs can get depressed like humans, a sad face never lies.
It may not be classic depression as people define it, but a dog can definitely feel under the weather, especially if his loved one betrays him. Unfortunately, recently, there have been more and more sad stories about abandoned dogs that have to continue their lives in shelters.
They show it in different ways, but there are specific situations where you can clearly see how the poor doggo feels and how much his owner’s betrayal really affected him.
Just such a heartbreaking story comes from one shelter in Tampa, Florida.
Broken Heart
One American Bully named Bruno was surrendered by his owner to a local animal shelter in Tampa, Florida. He was just two to three years old, and after a happy life in a warm home, suddenly finding himself in the four walls of the kennel simply broke his heart.
He was taken care of by good people at Mercy Full Project, but poor Bruno could not get used to this new life. They quickly posted a TikTok video showing Bruno with a sad look, noting that this dog had fallen into depression.
Although this scene already saddened many people, what happened a few days after truly made hearts cry. Their new TikTok video showed a grieving Bruno in the back seat of a car, so depressed he doesn’t want to go outside.
“This is what happens when you abandon your dog with an animal shelter. After a ‘doggy day out’ with one of our volunteers, Bruno refused to get out of the car,” a message overlaid on the video read.
Although they can be heard encouraging him with the words “it’s okay, come on,” every time they try to coax him out of the car door, he just moves to the other side with his head down.
“He kept moving to the other side every time she opened the door. He knew was going back to the cage,” another message across the screen read.
In this short video, you can clearly see how hard it is for Bruno to be separated from his beloved home and how the shelter is the wrong place for dogs, especially for poor Bruno.
“Bruno is falling into a depression 💔. He won’t eat & doesn’t even want to go potty. He desperately needs a foster or new forever home 🥺. Shelter life is not for him (or any pup),” they wrote in the caption.
@mercyfullproject Bruno is falling into a depression 💔. He won’t eat & doesn’t even want to go potty. He desperately needs a foster or new forever home 🥺. Shelter life is not for him (or any pup) #rescue #adoptme #adoptdontshop #tampa ♬ Last Hope – Steve Ralph
“Never Leave Him Again”
A video of Bruno, a depressed, abandoned Bully who doesn’t want to go back to the shelter, quickly gained a lot of attention on TikTok and broke the hearts of many.
Among a lot of reactions and comments, one user cried out: “Don’t put Bruno back to Cage 🥺 He does not like being jailed.”
This comment struck such a chord with the people at Mercy Full Project that they replied to him with the most beautiful response just a few days later.
In a new video they posted on their TikTok profile, they wrote: “Bruno is officially with a foster!”, and added that “he is going to his new forever home tomorrow.”
Of course, many who started to follow his life path were so excited that they couldn’t wait for the day when Bruno would finally bring back a smile on his face.
That day finally came, and the latest Facebook post about Bruno appeared. They posted beautiful pictures of a happy and smiling American Bully and his new family.
“He is starting his new journey with a pawsome family, lots of siblings and kids to love him ❤️,” they wrote in the post. “We are thankful for all that help us find this wonderful home 🏡”
That is how Bruno replaced the sad-face mask of a depressed dog with a broad smile on his face. He is ready to start a new life with a family that is fully committed to him and “would never leave him again.”