There are millions of dogs and cats in shelters across the country.
As many as 6.5 million dogs, cats, and other former, lost, or abandoned pets enter shelters each year.
The good news is the majority of pet owners find their lost pets. In fact, 93 percent of lost dogs were recovered by their owners. However, only six percent were found at shelters.
Out of the 6.5 million rescue animals that entered shelters, only 3.2 million were adopted.
Sadly, the average euthanasia rate across shelters in the United States is about 50%.
Unfortunately, even if an animal is adopted, the story doesn’t always have a happy ending.
This is what happened to Sasha, a dog from KC Campus for Animal Care in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the largest animal shelter in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
This shelter saves over 90% of its animals from euthanasia yearly, significantly higher than other animal shelters.
One of the rescue dogs saved was Sasha.
She was an extremely shy dog when she first came to the shelter. She was easily spooked and didn’t know how to go on a walk using a leash.
Katie Grissum, who works at the shelter, spent extra time with Sasha and eventually got her to trust her.
Grissum took Sasha out on walks, visited her every day, and fed her hotdogs, her favorite snack.
“She has, by far, been the toughest dog to [gain trust],” Grissum said about Sasha in her Tiktok account.
Sasha was an 11-month-old dog who was extremely under-socialized when she arrived at the shelter.
She came with two siblings who were also under-socialized. Grissum and the other staff members worked hard to gain her trust and care for her.
Sasha was adopted soon after.
Sadly, she was returned to the shelter a few months after being adopted because her owner had unexpected health issues.
Grissum was happy to see her but also sad that Sasha was back at the shelter. The shelter worker spent time with her again, feeding Sasha her favorite hotdogs and just sitting beside her to get her comfortable.
Netizens were happy to see Grissum take care of Sasha.
The good news is that Sasha was adopted again soon after Grissum posted new videos of her!
Bethany, or TikTok user @bethelss, saw Sasha on Grissum’s TikTok account the first time Grissum posted her in April last year and instantly felt a connection to her.
However, when she called the shelter, Sasha was already taken.
Months later, Bethany saw that Sasha was back at the shelter, and she didn’t waste any time adopting her.
Today, Sasha is finally living at her forever home with Bethany.
“Sasha is doing amazing! She has a long way to go but she is doing great. She loves her sisters. She loves attention and getting pets. I want to thank @katie.and.the.snoots for bringing her into our lives. We love her so much and look forward to seeing the type of dog she will blossom into!” Bethany shared on her TikTok account.
We’re so happy that Bethany and Sasha found each other!
There are millions of other animals that need to be adopted, we hope you can consider this if you are also looking for a furry friend to join your family.
Watch how Katie reconnected with Sasha on the video below!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
@katie.and.the.snoots Sasha is back at the shelter. Her owner has some unexpected health issues that forced them to surrender this shy girl. I’m happy to see her again but I am also sad to see her back. She needs someone that will be patient with her and help her gain confidence. #animalshelter #shelterdog #shydog #scareddog #animalshelterworker #shelterworker #shelterlife #shelterdogs #shelterdogsoftiktok #shelterdogsrock #shelterdogsneedlove ♬ When I Look At You (Instrumental) – BLVKSHP
