There was shock at an Ohio animal shelter after a dog arrived with the most devastating of declarations written across his collar.
According to the ASPCA, in 2024, 60 percent of all cats and dogs entering the shelter arrived as strays with surrenders accounting for just 29 percent of animal admissions.
Some of these animals started out as pets, knowing what it is like to have a home and a family. But then something changed. That appears to have been the case for Duke, a big, lovely pooch who arrived at Cincinnati Animal CARE on June 25, 2025.
“Duke was found as a stray—discovered by a good Samaritan near Markbreit and Gilmore in Oakley,” Jenna Bower from Cincinnati Animal CARE told Newsweek.
Trying to track down Duke’s family was almost impossible. “He wasn’t microchipped, so we had no way to trace his past,” Bower said.
However, it was clear he had once belonged to someone and that someone had chosen to discard Duke in the most heartbreaking of manners. When he was first found, the dog’s rescuers were quick to discover the word “unwanted” had been scrawled across his collar.
It was a discovery that saddened everyone connected with the shelter. “It’s rare—and heartbreaking—to see something like that so blatantly stated,” Bower said.
That single eight-letter word hit hard for Bower and many other members of staff at the facility. “In animal welfare, we’re used to seeing pets come in after accidents or emergencies—many were loved but lost due to circumstances like housing or medical issues,” she said. “But to see the word ‘unwanted’ literally written on a collar stopped us in our tracks.”
To Bower, there was something about the manner in which Duke was rejected that struck a personal chord. She said: “Many people drawn to this work know what it feels like to be unwanted themselves.”
Bower wasn’t alone in that respect either. When Cincinnati Animal CARE shared a post to Instagram revealing the message found written on Duke’s collar, it sparked an outpouring of emotion from animal lovers shocked that a pet could be abandoned in such a callous manner.
Staff at the shelter were desperate to see Duke find the home he deserved. One where he would be truly wanted. “Many in this field had never seen anything quite like it.,” Bower said. “It was a gut punch, but also a reminder why we do this work—to make sure no animal feels that way again.”
Duke is a large dog, and it can sometimes take longer for rescue pups his size to be placed. However, the increased visibility granted by the Instagram post proved decisive; Duke was adopted just 11 days after he arrived.
“Thanks to the attention around his story, Duke found a wonderful family with two older kids who adore him,” Bower said. “Without that visibility, a large dog like him—81 pounds—might’ve waited months for a home.”
Bower puts this success down to Duke’s heartbreaking story and the power of social media. “Big dogs tend to get overlooked, but his story helped people see beyond his size and into his heart,” she said.
While there is understandable joy at seeing Duke happy and free, Bower was keen to stress that this pup’s story is only the tip of the iceberg.
“Duke’s story stood out, but there are hundreds more animals here with just as much heart, waiting for someone to notice them,” Bower said. “His story is proof that sharing makes a difference—we hope more people will help share these stories and change lives.”
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