For dogs who spend too long confined in kennels, stress can build quickly. Some shut down completely, refusing food and avoiding people. Others develop strange coping behaviors that leave staff worried.
Romeo, a handsome German Shepherd with soft, gentle eyes, was one of those dogs. His stress revealed itself in a heartbreaking way: he began spinning in circles endlessly inside his kennel.
Rescue Comes At The Last Moment
When Romeo first arrived at a Los Angeles shelter, he was calm and kept mostly to himself. But as the weeks dragged on, his stress grew unbearable. He refused to stop spinning, no matter what the staff tried.
“He was about to be euthanized because he had stopped eating. I just did a plea for help on my TikTok and a woman named Jessica commented on it and said ‘We want him’,” Kelsey told The Dodo.
As soon as Kelsey saw that someone wanted to give Romeo a chance, she rushed to the shelter, picked him up, and drove him straight to his new home.
During the drive home, Romeo was uneasy, but then something unexpected occurred. He ate.
“I had a handful of food and he ate it right out of my hand. He was starving,” said Kelsey.
That small act of eating restored some of the strength he had lost. It felt as though he finally understood that a new chapter in his life was beginning.
Struggles Continue In His New Home
For the first twenty minutes inside his new home, Romeo acted like a completely different dog. His tail wagged, and he showed bursts of excitement. Yet before long, the spinning behavior returned.
“I let him outside, and he started spinning. Like, uncontrollably. I got on the phone with the vet, they thought it was just a lot of stress that he had gone through in the shelter,” Jessica explained.
Trying to help, they brought him outside for a playdate to distract him, but it failed.
Then Jessica tried something different. She rolled a ball across the yard, and immediately Romeo’s attention shifted. His eyes brightened, and instead of spinning, he chased the ball with joy.
“We were like ‘Oh, wow, okay!’ There is something that can help him, distract him,” she said.
Because ball games indoors were not possible, Jessica needed another way to redirect him when the spinning started inside. She soon realized that giving him commands worked perfectly.
Since Romeo was intelligent and eager to respond, she could guide him by asking him to lie down. Each time he began spinning, she calmly told him to stop and lie down, and he listened.
Through patience, structure, and love, Romeo eventually learned how to manage his stress without making himself dizzy.
“Romeo is definitely a part of my family. He’s actually amazing. He’s so well-trained at this point that it’s not an issue anymore,” Jessica concluded.
A Message Of Hope For Shelter Dogs
Romeo’s journey reveals how overwhelming life inside a loud, crowded shelter can be for sensitive dogs. Anxiety and stress often push them into behaviors that seem unusual, yet beneath those actions are pups who simply crave love and patience.
Romeo was lucky to find a family who stepped in at the very last moment, rescuing him from a heartbreaking fate. Now he is cherished, joyful, and finally free from the endless spinning that once consumed his days.
Still, countless dogs remain in shelters waiting for their chance. Just like Romeo, they dream of the moment someone will see them and open both their heart and their home.
If you are able, think about adopting. Every dog deserves the opportunity to feel safe, cared for, and truly free again.