Man’s best friend
When it comes to surrendering your dog (i.e., man’s best friend), many people choose to send them to the shelter – and sometimes something quite incredible can happen as this volunteer discovered. This is guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye, so keep the tissues close… Nancy Klein lives in California and is an avid animal lover – so much so that she volunteers her services at the Modesto-Stanislaus Animal Services Agency.
It was here that she first met Moses.
Meet Moses
Moses is a pitbull, and just four years old (and pretty adorable. Just look at that face!).
Pitbulls are often mistaken for being violent and aggressive, which can put many owners off – and even result in them surrendering their dogs because of this stigma.
Unfair Reputations
Pitbulls aren’t naturally aggressive; these traits are often caused by the mistreatment and care they receive from their owners.
Nevertheless, Moses was being surrendered to the Animal Services Agency for the second time during his short lifetime.
The Problematic View Of Pitbulls
Because of the reputation surrounding this breed of dog, pitbulls often find it hard to find their forever homes and are often the last ones left in the shelters.
A hundred years ago, Pitbulls were nicknamed “nanny dogs” because of their gentle demeanor.
Moses’ First Stop – Modesto’s Stanislaus Animal Services Agency
Moses was brought to the ‘Modesto’s Stanislaus Animal Services Agency’ shelter on January 22, 2017.
His family had decided to get rid of him and the ‘Modesto’s Stanislaus Animal Services Agency’ seemed to them like the right place to surrender him.
Finding a Forever Home
As well as being one of the most prevalent breeds in shelters across the world, Save-A-Bull Rescue has found through their studies that pitbulls are also the breed of dog that is the most frequently euthanized.
But Klein didn’t see how anyone could give away such a sweet and adorable dog…
Surrendering Moses to the Shelter
Klein first described the emotional meeting with Moses on her Facebook page on January 23, 2017.
Nancy writes of the incredibly moving situation, and how she found the whole thing incredibly distressing – but it was Moses’ reaction that pulled on her heartstrings the most.
Kleins’ Point Of View
Klein published her thoughts and feeling in a post on Facebook on January 23, 2017. “Last night as I was leaving the shelter at closing this dog was being surrendered” she wrote.
It wasn’t only the dog surrendering that was so sad for her, but also the dog’s reaction that touched her so deeply.
Saying Goodbye
Klein describes the scene throughout her post. During the whole exchange, it was as if Moses knew what was happening to him – and of course, he wanted to stay with his family. He wanted a forever home.
He didn’t want to go back to the shelter. Nancy found the whole ordeal heartbreaking, and she found herself becoming overwhelmed with emotion; having to catch her breath. After a while, Nancy Klein decided to ask Moses’ owners what was going on.
Second Time Isn’t a Charm
It turned out that Moses had first been adopted from the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency the previous year, and his family had been completely smitten with him.
He was a sweet dog; affectionate, gentle, and never vicious or aggressive.
The Family’s’ Decision
Nevertheless, his owners had to give him up. His family was now moving away from the area and into a new home – but their new house wouldn’t let them keep pets.
So they had no choice but to surrender him.
He Knew Whats Happening
Nancy Klein continued her story on her Facebook post – and even provided pictures of Moses and his reaction to being back in the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency. He knew something was wrong.
And he knew that his family was leaving him.
Moses the Heartbreaker
Nancy wrote that at one point, Moses begged his owners to keep him. He stood on his hind legs, lifted his paw into his owner’s hand, and gave him saddest puppy dog eyes (quite literally).
Enough to make your heart melt.
Luckily She Her Phone
“I took out my phone and, well, you can see for yourself,” Klein wrote on her Facebook post.
Nowadays, there is no doubt that the ease publishing and telling a story that can reach thousands around the world helps allot in creating a better world, for us humans and for the human best friend.
How Did He Feel?
Dogs’ emotional abilities have not gone unnoticed. Research has found that they know and understand abandonment and what it entails. If it happens to them, they are aware of it.
Dr. Stanley Coren is a dog expert and has dedicated his career to this concept.
The Medical Facts
He reported to Psychology Today that the emotional level of a dog is equal to the emotional level of a two-and-a-half-year-old.
They can’t comprehend developed emotions such as pride and guilt, but they understand the basics.
Desperate for Love
What Nancy Klein realized was that Moses was so much more than any other dog. He was aware. He knew what was going on. He knew what his family was doing.
And he didn’t want to let them go. However, his emotional attempts didn’t seem to phase his owners – he didn’t get the reaction he wanted. So, he looked for help elsewhere. He soon became so desperate that he looked for comfort from all of the other humans in the room.
A Lap Dog
The room was full of staff members, volunteers, and families – and Moses made his way around all of them. He ran up to a young boy and his mother who were standing in the lobby as if pleading with them to take him with them.
He then found his way to Nancy, who knew immediately that this was one of the sweetest dogs she’d ever met. Moses crawled onto her lap, and almost pleaded with her to take him with her.
The Power of Facebook
Nancy’s heart sank when she saw how desperate Moses was to find a loving family, and saw how much he didn’t want to be left in the shelter. She knew that she had to do something; it took a lot of strength to stop herself from taking him herself.
She hoped that Moses’ loving nature would speak for itself, so she posted about the ordeal online, with a video of the gut-wrenching scenes, to try and find him a new family.
Moses’s Abandoners
The story soon reached hundreds of people, with many having their own opinions about the family’s decision to surrender Moses.
The family soon came under intense scrutiny and criticism from dog and animal lovers across the world.
They Left Him
Although they agreed that they did the best thing by surrendering him to a shelter, they disagreed with their reasons for leaving him, and many thought they should have done more.
Some people even believed they should have been punished for doing so…
A Dog is for Life
Many people truly believe that a dog is for life, and that they soon become part of the family – so they should have done more to keep Moses within theirs.
One social media user has since said that families and owners who surrender their dogs or pets due to moving home ‘should never be allowed to adopt pets again.’ They went on to say that they should have chosen a new home that does allow pets, to keep Moses.
For the Best
The whole ordeal soon became a worldwide debate, with people from across the globe giving their input; some were even less forgiving. Another social media user criticized the family for treating Moses like trash, and discarding him as if he meant nothing to them.
However, there were other people who realized that no one but the family knows the true circumstances behind their decision, and the decision they made could have been the best for the welfare of Moses.
The Search Begins
People soon began to defend the family and their decision, with many being thankful that the family decided to surrender Moses to a shelter which will care for him and find him a new loving home rather than something worse. However, regardless of the family, the circumstances and their reasoning, all of the followers of Moses’ story all came to the same conclusion – they wanted a happy ending for the pitbull.
Because this whole ordeal showed that he deserved it.
He’s Not the Only One
The story surrounding Moses is an extraordinary one – and just shows us that dogs are so much more intelligent and aware than most of us think. Although he had lots of people working on his side, it doesn’t make his ordeal any easier. Yet, it isn’t just Moses who goes through this.
There have been hundreds of cases across the globe where dogs have been aware of the fact that they were being surrendered. They are capable of so many emotions – they just want love.
Unbroken Bond
Although they cannot understand deep and developed human emotions as we can, they exhibit the same sort of emotions as a toddler. If you’ve ever been around children or have had a child yourself, you will know that toddlers are incredibly emotional – and one of their main emotions is love, especially for the family.
You have a bond, and if that bond is broken – your toddler, or dog, will most likely cry. Just like Moses and his family.
If You Must
Dr. Stanley Coren went on to expand on the idea of your dog’s emotions in his Psychology Today article.
Whether you’re that kind of owner or not, one of the reasons your dog lets you put on that crazy outfit (complete with wig and little shoes), is because it feels no shame. However, your dog will still feel an intense connection, bond, and love for you, and this is something we need to value more often.
Awesome Update
Nancy Klein’s post on Facebook was shared so many times and reached so many people that it didn’t take a loving new family to adopt him. (Yay!) She updated her Facebook post to reveal that she had an ‘AWESOME UPDATE’ from the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency.
Moses was adopted by a new family, and even has new two children to play with – and it’s said that they absolutely adore him and smother him with affection. We expect nothing less!