Mr. Snufflufugus is a five-year-old male that was recently abandoned and left on the streets in Texas to fend for himself.

He was frightened and ran around the city of Copperas Cove, Texas, in hopes that someone would find him and help him.

The local animal control was contacted, and thankfully, the personnel was able to locate the poor dog and bring him to the Copperas Cove Animal Control shelter.

This adorable pup was so thankful for being rescued that he immediately hugged his new best friends, and everyone’s heart at the animal control shelter simply melted.

The staff member who was there noticed this touching moment and snapped a picture right away.

This picture quickly became viral, with people sharing it online and advocating for Mr. Snufflufugus to be adopted.

“Victoria and I were in the play area with Mr. Snufflufugus when he decided he needed a hug,” the animal control supervisor, Tamara Hall, told The Dodo.

They found out pretty soon that Mr. Snufflufugus was such a snuggle bug and enjoyed being hugged. Everyone at the shelter took an instant liking to this precious boy.

“If you are sitting on the floor or ground, he is sure to seek your attention by climbing into your lap or snuggling up next to you. He uses his irresistible sweet eyes while looking up for attention,” Hall also said.

Besides giving the best hugs, Mr. Snufflufugus is very friendly and enjoys resting.

Victoria wrote on her Facebook, “He would rather sit on the couch and be a potato, a good potato who gets many head scratches and gets to sit on your chest and snore, and is told quite often what a good boy he is.” 

After the Copperas Cove Police Department posted the adorable photo of Mr. Snufflufugus, he became quite famous, and the animal control shelter received numerous applications for this good boi.

They wrote on their Facebook profile, “Thank you ALL for expressing interest in Mr. Snufflufugus and for sharing our post! We recently discovered that he needs to be in a single pet home, with no small children. While he is exceptionally affectionate, this could create a problem in a home where he becomes possessive of the adult owner.”  

The small shelter unfortunately did not have enough assets to process all this, so Mr. Snufflufugus was transported to Pit Squad Rescue in Minnesota. Pit Squad will be able to interview all potential adopters and find the best home for this lovely dog.

He has to be treated for heartworm, which sadly comes with a hefty vet bill, but they are happy to give this sweet boy a second chance.

“This boy has been so grateful to everyone he comes in contact with & so happy to be safe.  & you can guess… loves to snuggle & hugs. Welcome to Pit Squad Rescue MN Mr. Snufs! We cannot wait to find you your furever home 🐾”

Mr. Snufflufugus seems to be in love with his foster family, just as they are with him.

You are the goodest dog ever, Mr. Snufflufugus, and we at PupVine sincerely hope you find the best furever family that will love you and give you hugs every day because you deserve it.

The strong bond we share with our dogs is truly precious, and our love knows no boundaries. Dogs are our family, and we stay with them for better or worse. It deeply saddens me to learn what happened to Rocky, as it reminds me of how cruel and inhumane some pet owners can be.

Some of them are capable of abandoning their loyal dogs and erasing them from their lives just like they never existed.

That happened to Rocky, a sweet 10-year-old German Shepherd who was abandoned at a shelter in El Oso, Texas.

After spending his whole life with his family, they decided to get rid of him because they thought he was too old. They even requested Rocky to be euthanized.

The shelter volunteers immediately declined that. They recognized the spark in Rocky’s sad brown eyes and they hoped he would find his forever home.

Rocky’s owners even admitted that they initially drove Rocky to the deserted part of town to dump him, but changed their mind at the last minute.

Years Of Neglect Have Left A Toll On His Health

When he arrived at the shelter, Rocky looked sad and beaten. The life without love and proper care took a toll on him. He also had health issues and needed treatment for allergies, flea dermatitis, and heartworm.

Realizing that Rocky would need extensive medical treatment, the shelter asked Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue, an all-volunteer rescue based in Virginia, to take him in. They immediately agreed, and Rocky was transferred there.

The rescue consulted the best vets to help him. The good people jumped in and donated money to help them cover some of the medical costs. 

Foster Home

At first, he was placed in a temporary foster home in Virginia, and Kathy Fridley, his foster mom, was thrilled with him.

“Rocky is the sweetest, gentlest dog… He is so grateful when people take a minute and pet him… he just leans onto you to absorb all the love. Rocky has had so little kindness shown to him in his life, he asks for nothing,” she says.

Rocky feels safe when he’s near the people who love him. He enjoys going on walks and relaxing on the porch. He likes car rides a lot. One of his favorite things to do is ride in the back seat, and look out of the window.

Rocky was denied love and affection his whole life, and yet he has so much love to give. After spending some time with his temporary foster family in Virginia, Rocky moved to a foster home in Frederick, Maryland.

The Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue staff wanted to help him find a family who would cherish and love him unconditionally for the rest of his life.

After everything he had been through, he deserves to be treated as a king. Rocky isn’t looking for some fancy things… he is only looking for love. He loves spending time outdoors, and the rescue volunteers are convinced that life in the countryside would suit him best.

A Call For Action

The volunteers at the rescue shelters are our true heroes. We’re extremely grateful for their commitment to saving dogs who are abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, shelters are overburdened, and there are more dogs entering the shelters than leaving. Shelter Animals Count (SAC) warns of the trend in dog euthanasia.

The rate of dogs who are put down has nearly doubled (from 5.6% to 10%) when comparing the January – March period in 2023 to the same period in 2021. (1)

Our whole community needs to urgently act in order to decrease euthanasia in dogs. We can help by adopting, fostering, and donating to help replenish the shelters’ funds. Dogs are counting on us and we mustn’t let them down.

References: 

1. Shelter Animals Count, Shelter Animal Count’s Intake And Outcome Data Analysis Report for Q1 2023, accessed 4 July 2023, shelteranimalscount.org

A dog really is a man’s best friend. Regardless of our problems, mood, and temper, they are always there for us.

They teach us so many things like loyalty, love, courage, and trust. The dog’s unwavering loyalty to its best friend is just touching, and it should be an example for all of us to learn from.

However, if that quote could be used to describe someone, then it would most certainly be the man and his dog in this story.

Unusually Beautiful Sight

It all occurred on a random sunny day when a man named Bryan Thompson went for a walk in Shubie Park, in Massachusetts.

While there, he saw something unusual. It was a man who was wheeling his dog in a wagon. His curiosity got the best of him, so he took a few pictures.

Wondering what was going on, he decided to walk up to the man and simply ask him. The story this man told him was something truly heartwarming.

Apparently, the man’s dog was suffering from ALS, also known as degenerative myelopathy. Degenerative myelopathy affects the dog’s spinal cord and compresses it. Over time, it causes muscle weakness until the dog can no longer move.^[1]

The disease is not uncommon, and in some pure dog breeds, it has a prevalence of 0.19%. While it’s most common in German Shepherds, it also happens to many other breeds.^[1]

The dog’s ALS had already progressed too much, which meant that he could no longer move his limbs.

A Touching Bond Between The Man And His Dog

The owner didn’t want his furry companion to miss out on the outside world and his favorite park, so he decided to do something about it by making a small wagon for carrying the dog.

The man told Thompson that this wasn’t his first trip to Shubie Park. The dog’s loving guardian would take him sightseeing every day. Thompson complimented him by saying that many people wouldn’t do that for their dogs, and that makes him an especially good person.

He replied simply by saying that his dog would have done the same thing for him if he could.

Thompson was just so astonished and moved at this man’s devotion to his canine friend that he had to share the story with everyone else.

It is one of those rare gems where we can truly see the beautiful bond between a man and his dog.

References:

[1] Coates, Joan R. Research (2010, September) Canine Degenerative Myelopathy. Science Direct.