Dessie: Dumped By Heartless Owner At Shelter, Lonely 14-Year-Old Dog Becomes Viral Sensation

Dessie is a 14-year-old dog who on Sunday was cruelly abandoned at a public animal shelter in Miami, Florida, for reasons unknown. According to a report on an animal rescue Facebook page, the owner simply tethered the elderly, loyal dog to a wall and walked away without explanation.

Like many publicly run animal shelters, the Miami-Dade facility simply euthanizes — that is, kills — dogs who do not quickly find new homes. Because of Dessie’s advanced age, she will move to front of the line when it comes to lining up dogs for death.

But the good news is, that picture you see above on this page — said to have been taken even as Dessie watched her heartless owners walk away and leave her alone — has gone viral and the race is on to find Dessie a new home.

“What kind of a person does this?” wrote the organization Urgent Dogs of Miami on their Facebook page. “Dessie is 14 years old, look at the intense look on her face, she is watching her people leave. Dumped off at a high kill shelter at the ripe old age of 14. Your people sucked Dessie. If she isn’t adopted or rescued soon she will be the first to be killed.”

Her health is considered “average” for her advanced age, so it it certainly possible that Dessie may not have much longer on this Earth in any event — but the consensus among Facebook commenters who have seen the photo is that this beautiful dog deserves to spend the remainder of her days in the care of a loving family, rather than in a cold and lonely cell.

The heartbreaking photo of Dessie left alone and confused as her “people” turn their backs on her has now appeared in online media as far away as the Netherlands, and generated nearly 1,200 Facebook “shares” along with hundreds of heartbroken and outraged comments.

Plenty of people have expressed a desire to take Dessie, but whether anyone actually will is still an open question. Many of the Facebook commenters who say they will take the loving dog are located hundreds of miles from Miami, as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or even California.

“The owners are IDIOTS,” wrote one typical Facebook commenter. “Didn’t they realize they will be OLD too.. what is difference?.. they shouldn’t have any pets no more to put them through so CRUEL!! ugh.”

“Four states, 9 homes, 2 divorces, 3 kids, 17 YEARS and I never would have given up my beautiful old girl, she was with us to her last day on earth,” wrote another, expressing the nearly unanimous sentiment. “I hope this poor girl gets to live out her twilight years with a loving and committed family, and I hope that the person who turned her in gets dumped off in a home when they’re old.”

Sadl, stories of abandoned dogs are all-too-common. As of Tuesday morning, June 16, Dessie remained at the Miami-Dade Animal Services Shelter. For information on how to contact the shelter to inquire about this beautiful dog, click on this link. To ask for Dessie, use her ID number at the shelter, which is A1705300.

[Image: Urgent Dogs of Miami]