UPDATE — 6/28/17:
After reaching out to the man who posted the original video to Facebook, we learned that animal control was summoned to pick up the dog. iHeartDogs contacted the Anti-Animal Cruelty League in Johannesburg, South Africa and learned that the dog was in their custody. According to Chief Inspector Rulof Jackson with the AACL, they believe the dog may have been stolen and dumped by someone who believed him to be a nuisance rather than a family member, as his behavior is typical of dogs who are victims of this sort of theft.
Because they don’t believe he was dumped by his family, they allowed time for his rightful owner to claim him.
ORIGINAL POST:
This shocking scene was caught on CCTV just outside a park in Johannesburg and posted to Facebook last weekend. A truck pulls into the parking lot of this park to abandon a pet in the grass, rather than surrendering it to a shelter. It’s even harder to watch when you notice that the person stepping out of the vehicle and dumping the dog in the grass is just a child, only twice as big as the small dog he’s carrying.
More than just the moment he was abandoned, the video shows the pup’s life changed in an instant. In only a few seconds he loses a warm home, a family who was meant to love him, and the certainty that he’s going to eat tomorrow. The selfish family in the truck just drives away and goes on with their lives like nothing has happened, but the poor dog’s life won’t be the same from this moment forward.
It’s heartbreaking to see him realize that the family is leaving without him once the children hop back in and close the door, and to give up so quickly when the truck drives away. Hopefully, this dog will find someone to care for him and another family who will stand by the commitment they make to their pet.
