The internet is feeling “heartbroken” after a TikTok video revealed that a support dog ended up in a South Carolina animal shelter as a result of unfortunate circumstances with his owner.
The 7-year-old dog’s life turned upside down when his person went into the hospital. An animal advocate who posts about available pets for adoption shared in a TikTok video last month that animal control brought the dog, Bentley, to the Lancaster County Animal Shelter after his owner went into the hospital. Bentley had been a person’s “support dog” for several years, but with the person’s future uncertain, Bentley needed someone to look after him.
Part of the caption on the video posted by @voicesforcarolinaanimals reads: “Long story short, the owner loves Mr. Bentley fiercely, but the future is uncertain. The last we heard, he is extremely critical, and no one else in the meantime can care for Mr. Bentley.”
In the video, Bentley placed his front paws on his kennel to greet the person filming. Despite his environment completely changing, it looked like he had a smile on his face, but the reality is that he’s become “completely disoriented.” He’s stressed and confused about being all alone without his human.
@voicesforcarolinaanimals Mr. Bentley has an incredibly sad story. He arrived at the shelter when his person went into the hospital. When animal control brought him in they let us know he was the person’s ‘support dog’ for years. Long story short, the owner loves Mr. Bentley fiercely but the future is uncertain. The last we heard he is extremely critical and no one else in the meantime can care for Mr. Bentley. Mr. Bentley is completely disoriented in the shelter. He is confused and sad, as his world has been turned upside down. To complicate matters, he is not testing well with other dogs in this environment. Therefore, he is extremely urgent. He is an incredibly gentle dog. He is also very food motivated and seems to find his only solace in the comfort of humans. Poor Mr. Bentley needs a hero to step up for him at this point. Considering the pain he has recently endured and is still going through, he deserves an angel. If someone ever doubts whether dogs can feel heartbreak, just one look into this boys eyes will convince them that the answer is 100 percent yes. 🐾 Mr. Bentley ❤️ Male 🧬 Lab mix 🎂 7 years? ✂️ Yes ❤️🐛 Pending 💉1st 🐶 Not testing well
♬ Rescue – Lauren Daigle
He wouldn’t stop jumping up, attempting to break free. He wouldn’t walk when someone brought him outside. Instead, he looked away in fear.
The animal shelter listed him as extremely urgent for an adopter or foster home to step up and take him in. And as the shelter is at maximum capacity, Bentley wound up on the euthanasia list, especially because he is not testing well with other dogs within that environment. The video was a plea for someone to step up and save Bentley.
Newsweek reached out to @voicesforcarolinaanimals for additional information.
Thankfully, a nonprofit rescue organization stepped up and took Bentley into their care. A Facebook post by Voices for Carolina’s Animals said: “Mister B made his exit!” and he is safe with Angels Among Us Rescue & Boarding.
TikTok viewers rushed to the comment section, sharing their hopes of a happy ending for Bentley and his owner.
“Oh, my heart. His owner must be so worried about him,” commented one viewer.
Another added: “He is a working dog and needs his person….at least to say goodbye.”
A third person wrote: “Praying this sweet boy’s owner heals and gets out of the hospital. Praying someone helps Bentley until then.”
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