After being dumped and left alone with nine puppy siblings, a dog struggles to find a place in her heart to trust again, but one foster parent is willing to put in the time to change her mind.
Tracy Fosterling of Jacksonville, Florida, is no stranger to owning pets. She has five dogs, two cats plus all the foster animals in between. She recently brought home a foster pup who was abandoned with her nine puppy siblings. Fosterling shared that she’s “never seen a puppy so scared” in her May 28 TikTok video on the account @tracyfosterling.
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The poor pup’s entire body was shaking, cowering from the unknown. Her tail stayed tucked tightly between her legs. She was nothing but skin and bones.
Fosterling remains positive despite the dog’s struggles and learning to trust again. The caption reads: “Long day but she’s out of the shelter and she’s happy.”
@tracyfosterling/TikTok
There was a glimmer of hope in the last moment of the video. The foster dog’s tail wagged slightly at the sight of one of her other dogs. She mentioned that this pup loves other dogs and finds comfort in them.
In an update video, Fosterling mentioned how this pup is “making such big strides.” Although she is still scared, the dog now plays with toys, sleeps peacefully, and accepts belly rubs. The other dogs show her around and together they enjoy exploring the yard.
Newsweek reached out to @tracyfosterling via TikTok for additional information.
‘Best Place She Can Be!’
The TikTok video posted to Fosterling’s account, @tracyfosterling, already has over 3.9 million views and 364,100 likes. Viewers praised Fosterling for taking in the pup and giving her much-needed time to heal.
“People must have been so mean to her. Breaks my heart to see animals so scared,” commented a user.
A second person wrote: “So sad. But did you see that little tail wag at the end?” A small, but positive step in the right direction.
“Oh bless her heart. She’s in the best place she can be! You and your crew will heal her!!” said another.
U.S. Shelter Numbers
Each year 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report” found.
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.
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
