It may be hard to watch this viral video that shows the harsh reality of animal neglect. Harold was skin and bone when he was found wandering the streets in North Oshawa in Ontario, Canada. But now is thriving and just like any other puppy—thanks to his foster carer.
Kayleigh McGovern, a volunteer and team member at Oshawa Animal Services, decided to look after the emaciated dog who was too weak to even walk back in July. She documented his progress and shared a slideshow of images on her TikTok page.
Kathy Pittman-Feltham, the shelter manager told Newsweek: “Harold quickly captured all of our hearts and we were rooting for him to get healthy and find his forever home.”
In the viral video that has 791,800 views, @kayleigh_mcgovern added on-screen text to explain each image. She stated he spent the first three days in bed and he didn’t have the strength to empty his bladder.
She wrote: “We shared many cuddles, watched lots of shows, and most importantly he got lots of rest.”
One image shows Harold’s skeletal body as the on-screen text explains: “This picture is still so jarring to look at. He was examined at the vet for possible causes of his emaciation. The vets concluded the only thing wrong with him was that he was essentially starving to death.”
After a few days of tender love and care, Harold started to feel stronger and became playful. Now four months on, he is just like any other puppy.
Pittman-Feltham told Newsweek: “Kayleigh helped nurse him back to health and he was then adopted by a member of the community who is a second-time adopter from us.
“He is doing phenomenal and is the perfect picture of health.”
Harold’s remarkable transformation has touched the hearts of thousands of TikTok users. But sadly, his situation wasn’t a rare case.
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
Pittman-Feltham told Newsweek: “We see many sad cases come through our doors and the team is always excited to be a part of the next chapter in their story as most times we don’t have any information on their past.
“We are hoping Harold’s story shines a light on the many cases across the rescue world that need our help.
“Fostering saves lives and Harold is a perfect example of that!“
An example of maternal love and protection, a stray mother dog wraps up in a box with her puppies to provide warmth.
Mama dogs are very protective of their puppies. They will go to tremendous lengths to defend their puppies, even if it means sacrificing their own comfort, as long as their puppies are safe.
This is just what a stray mama dog did for her puppies.
She and her puppies resided in a box beneath a car. The temperature is chilly in the video, and she is cuddling with her pups to keep them as warm as possible.
Fortunately, a guy notices them and goes out to rescue them from their precarious living situation.
It’s not easy to approach a dog for the first time, but he took his time to demonstrate that he meant no harm. First, he provided food to the mother dog.
You can imagine how difficult it is for her to leave her pups to go food shopping.
She began eating and took food directly from his hand, indicating that she was beginning to trust him. He tried placing a leash on her after a time, but she refused to wear it and instead went out.
The puppies were then gently relocated from the box to a kennel by the man.
He did it carefully so their mother would know he wasn’t hurting the puppies.
Mama dog stood back and observed him until he successfully transported all of the puppies. When the man left, she returned to check on her infants and ensure their safety.
She laid down again under the car after she was confident that her puppies were safe. The man approached her with care.
He finally grabbed her up in his arms and carried her to a waiting van after caressing her for a time.
He carefully moved the puppies to a larger kennel and rejoined them with their mother. The puppies began to feed again, relieved to be reunited with their mother.
The most striking aspect of this video is the man’s concern for the dog.
You can tell he genuinely wants to assist the mama dog and her puppies.
The man is from Mladenovac Dog Rescue Shelter in Serbia. It is a non-profit, non-governmental rescue group that operates the area’s largest no-kill animal shelter.
He drove them to the shelter and saw to it that they were warm, fed, and comfortable.
The man even kisses the dogs and puppies to make them feel loved and appreciated.
“This man is the finest,” one netizen said. He is always polite and compassionate to the dogs he saves.”
“These extraordinary gestures of compassion give us all hope for mankind,” added another. “Excellent work!”
The mama dog and her puppies will remain in foster care at the shelter until they are ready to be adopted.
This happy mama dog will be able to live with a loving home rather than in a cardboard box, thanks to those who actually care about abandoned and neglected animals.
Mladenovac Dog Rescue Shelter conducts excellent work rescuing and caring abandoned animals. Please give on their website if you can.
Watch the video below to discover how this man rescued this mama dog and her puppies.
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