After knowing his only family for eight years, a dog was left sad and confused when he was abandoned at an animal shelter.

Hearts were broken when people saw Max sitting in a kennel at the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Philadelphia location. July 6 TikTok clip posted by @sarahbrown701, which has garnered over 2.2 million views, shows Max tucked into the side of the kennel bent over. His eyes glaze over his new surroundings.

The dog’s body language explained everything you needed to know about his feelings about the situation: scared, anxious, disoriented. His family brought him home as a puppy and for eight years he stayed by their side. The text in the clip explained that they were his “only family”. But now, his whole world turned upside down.

The poster of the video Sarah shared Newsweek via TikTok that Max’s previous owners surrendered him due to “unexpected housing changes.”

Unfortunately, Max is not the only dog ​​to be taken to an animal shelter after experiencing a life full of love and comfort.

Each year 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 per day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters reached 46,807 in January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared to January 2022, according to the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report.”

Approximately 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized each year. Shelters try to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption drives, spay and neuter programs, and behavioral rehabilitation.

Other reasons why owners make the heartbreaking decision to surrender their animals include major lifestyle changes such as a new job, the arrival of a baby, divorce, relocation, behavioral problems or financial difficulties.

The good news is that Max has a potential adopter in the works. Max should be with his new family soon enough, as long as everything goes according to plan and the schedule works out, Sarah said.

“It’s not worth this”

The heartbreaking TikTok clip reached 2.2 million views, 439,300 likes and 4,697 comments within three days of being posted.

“I can’t imagine loving a baby for 8 years and throwing them away like they were nothing, leaving them confused and scared,” said one viewer, while a second said: “He doesn’t deserve this.”

Another added: “Omg he went from a comfy couch to a warm home to the chaos of a shelter…”

Hoping for a positive outcome for Max, one person wrote: “How could people do this? Ugh, I know he will find a new family that will love him forever.”

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