Far too many animals wind up in animal shelters all across the country.
Roughly 3.9 million dogs enter the shelter system every year, according to the ASPCA. Over 1 million of those dogs are then euthanized.
Not every dog in a shelter is there because of malicious reasons. Dogs run away and their owners are terrified and unable to find them right away. Many times, dogs can be reunited with their owners at the shelter.
Shelter workers at Downey Animal Care Center thought this would happen to Zuzu. The German shepherd mix ended up in the shelter after a neighbor called animal control.
One day, while outside during adoptions, Zuzu spotted a family beyond the fence. She instantly recognized them as her family and her happiness was abundant. She was going home! Except, that isn't what happened.
[H/T: BuzzFeed]
When Zuzu noticed the family on the other side of the fence, she "lit up like a Christmas tree." It was obvious to the shelter workers that she knew these people.
One volunteer, Desi Lara, shared the encounter on Facebook, after she learned that the family used to own Zuzu.
After she approached them, Desi was amazed to hear they were not picking up Zuzu. They wanted a dog to replace her.
"Talking to her owners they told me they were not here to reclaim her, they were getting another dog," she writes in the Facebook post
Apparently, Zuzu's father passed away and she was constantly crying because she missed him.
Zuzu hopped into the neighbor's yard and that neighbor was not very fond of her. They called animal control to pick her up, which is how Zuzu wound up at the shelter.
While Zuzu's family did not take her back, she isn't out of hope.
She is now getting extra love and care while the staff and volunteers at the shelter pay extra attention to finding her a loving home.
In the video below, you can see Zuzu's reaction to seeing her family again after being in the shelter.
Please SHARE this video with everyone you know to help Zuzu find a loving home, where she will never be forgotten or replaced!
