Carlie, a one-year-old German Shepherd mix, arrived at the Humane Society of Broward County as a tiny puppy.
Her life began with hardship, leaving her nervous, fearful, and painfully shy.
Because of her timid nature, she was constantly passed over by adopters. She hid so well that it was almost as if she didn’t exist.
Meet ‘The Invisible Dog’
When Carlie first came to the shelter in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, staff immediately noticed her fear.
Nobody knew what she had endured, but her time on the streets clearly left scars.
From the very beginning, she avoided people. The longer she stayed at the shelter, the more she withdrew.
She tucked herself into the back of her kennel, hidden away from view, where she felt safest.
Potential adopters walked right by without ever seeing her.
“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 became one of the shelter’s longest residents, part of the group heartbreakingly called the “Left Out” dogs.
Although Carlie was gentle and full of love, her quiet presence made it nearly impossible for visitors to notice her true self.
Helping Her Come Out Of Her Shell
The staff adored Carlie, and it hurt to see her hide away.
“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.
Gradually, 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.
She started to engage with visitors instead of hiding. But despite her progress, she was still overlooked.
“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 at the shelter and marked almost 180 days there with no adoption applications.
Even then, she remained ‘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.
A Viral Video Brings Carlie Attention
Once the Humane Society of Broward County shared her story with the heartbreaking sign, everything shifted.
The video spread quickly, gaining over a million views on Facebook.
Just days later, Carlie’s life changed forever.. 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.”
After nearly 180 days of waiting, Carlie was finally chosen.
Her new parents shared: “Carlie is doing absolutely great! It’s only been two days and she is already starting to bloom.”
Enjoy your new life, Carlie. You truly deserve it.