Cruel Family Dumps 6-Year-Old Beagle at Shelter, Leaves with New Dog Before Vacation
Do you share your life with a dog, cat, or other companion animal? If you’re like many pet lovers, these loyal creatures are like family — showering you with unconditional love and loyalty.
Yet for some people, pets are expendable. In fact, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that roughly 6.5 million companion creatures find themselves abandoned to our nation’s shelters every single year.
Tails Pet Magazine notes that the U.S. legal system regards pets as human property, strictly speaking. Back when our nation was settled, after all, many hard-working domestic animals performed valuable labor that helped farms and families flourish.
But these days, certain pet owners seem to interpret this by-the-book definition as an excuse to dump their furry friend at the first sign of inconvenience. Animal advocate and shelter volunteer Andrea Neyses recently shared one such heartbreaking story on social media.
Neyses’ distressing tale involved a six-year-old beagle named Toots. Allegedly, this friendly pup’s family was planning an extended vacation — so they decided the best solution was deserting her at a shelter.
The facility they chose was California’s San Bernardino City Animal Control. Like many shelters, it’s a high-kill establishment due to the overwhelming number of unwanted pets entering its doors on a regular basis.
Neyses’ abiding love for animals was plainly evident as she relayed her impressions of the incident.
“Today I saw the most selfish of humans,” she exclaimed, “going on vacation in a week or so, giving up their family member Toots who they adopted six years ago in Hawaii.”
But her outrage wasn’t prompted by that decision alone. “That’s not the worst of it,” she contended, adding that “they got a new dog they are taking with them.”
Meanwhile, the adorable canine who had viewed this family as her whole world was left to wonder what she’d done wrong. The distressed and panicked look on Toots’ innocent face caused a wave of steadily rising fury across social media.
This prompted a series of pointed shares and shout-outs, all aiming to find sweet Toots a bona fide “forever” home. And the good news is, it worked!
A triumphant follow-up post from Neyses indicated that Malibu-based Chiquita’s Friends Rescue stepped up almost immediately. “Thanks to all of you sharing,” she proclaimed, “Toots was scooped up at 5 p.m. as (the) shelter was closing.”
Here’s hoping this endearing beagle is now beaming at the thought of a beautiful life. Her story is a meaningful reminder that we should never, ever take anyone’s unconditional love and devotion for granted.
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