Across the United States, there is an estimated 3.1 million dogs captured by animal control services and kept in shelters located all over the country every year. An extremely small fraction of it end up going to a caring family for the rest of their lives, while the rest are more likely to stay in a soulless room forever or euthanized by the shelter to conserve resources.
While we are aware of the number of strays that are being picked off the streets and sheltered at institutions for the next person to come and adopt them, we don’t really know what really goes into these very same shelters trying their hardest to give these lost souls the best care they can. Until a loving individual comes along and takes them under their wing, dog shelters, especially non-profit ones, have to rely on the goodwill of the public for cash, food, spare materials and volunteers and medical professionals to keep their operations running smoothly.
To shine a light on the struggling situation many dog shelters are facing, Pets Global created a video under their official Paw Pack YouTube channel showing the typical process of capturing strays and keeping them in shelters.
The video starts with a lone stray dog wandering around the streets, disheveled and looking for a place to call home while sleeping on cardboard boxes as a bed at night and being shooed away by restaurant staff when rummaging through their thrash for food. Eventually, our furry protagonist is apprehended by a staff member of a dog shelter and goes through the entire process of getting it off the streets and into a caring household instead. After being given a nice shower, medical checkup and a proper meal in weeks, it is then shown into its new home where it will spend the remainder of its life at.
And after weeks of staying in a cold, empty room, our main character is chosen by a young boy and his parent as their new family member and companion for life. Given a collar with a tag with its new name engraved on it. Finally being part of a loving household it has been dreaming of for a long time. Unfortunately, reality sets in and our protagonist wakes up to find itself in its prison cell again, before falling asleep again. Still hopeful for the future of a warm and loving home.
Although tragic in nature, the video also shines a light on what dog shelters go through to keep strays off the streets and the lack of many resources and materials that they desperately need to keep their operations flowing smoothly. And if you want to do your part to help, you don’t need to do much either! All it takes is just a trip to your local shelter and pick out a dog that you want to bring home as a companion for life.
Out from the virtual world and into the real one, see how The Sims 4 is getting people to adopt their dream pets in-game and in real life here!