The internet’s heart shattered into pieces after seeing a shelter dog, who was unknowingly up against a timeline, watch her friends get adopted before her.
A pit bull named Sandy came into the Houston shelter as an adoption return, and as a dog-selective canine with heartworms, her name landed on the euthanasia list if no one stepped up.
The animal shelter first gave her a deadline of April 22, but extended it by two days, hopeful the recent Instagram video posted by user @madtotherescue would connect Sandy to a future owner. If not, her “time is up.”
Madeline, a shelter volunteer and foster parent, dedicates her account to sharing animals she meets on the verge of an unfortunate fate. After spending time with Sandy, she couldn’t believe no one wanted this dog, but also understood Sandy could be a “hard sell” to potential adopters due to the dog breed and the shelter instructing her to be adopted to a home with no other canines.
“There is just something about that face looking up at you with the tail swishing on the ground that makes your heart melt,” she wrote in the caption. “…She is the DEFINITION of a pocket Pittie and I am SHOCKED to see that she’s 40 lbs.”
In Madeline’s clip, Sandy sat at the edge of her kennel, with her tail wagging. She peered out as visitors came and went. She watched all her friends receive endless attention. She waited patiently, sporting her homemade collar from her previous owner. She held onto hope that her adoption time was near, without realizing it might never come.
@madtotherescue/Instagram
Thankfully, the power of social media saved Sandy in the nick of time. In only a few days, the video, which was also shared on TikTok, helped connect a family to Sandy.
Madeline updated the caption of her video and said Sandy had officially been adopted.
Newsweek reached out to Madeline via email for additional information and comment.
The Instagram video amassed over 444,000 views, 20,700 likes and 1,151 comments as of Friday. People flooded the comment section, hopeful that Sandy’s happy ending would come soon.
“Rooting so hard for sweet Sandy! I hope she gets the chance like all her friends. I just know she’d make her forever people oh so happy,” wrote one viewer.
A second person added: “I’m so sorry sweet girl. You deserve all the love.”
Another commented: “This is heartbreaking. All these dogs want is a family and love. It’s horrible.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.