For most shelter dogs, getting noticed can feel like the hardest part of finding a home. A video shared by @petrescuesolutions follows Fernando, a young rescue dog, as he spends the day at an adoption event hoping somebody will stop, say hello, and maybe see him as family. Right from the start, he seems convinced this could be his day. His tail barely slows down; his ears perk up whenever someone walks by. And he keeps checking to see whether the next person might be the one who takes a chance on him. But despite his best efforts to look cute, the day does not end with a celebratory ride home.
Rescue dog ‘tries hard to get noticed’ at adoption event but without results
The footage begins outdoors with Fernando running right up to the edge of his temporary enclosure. He wags his tail fast and seems genuinely excited about his chances. But then the camera catches group after group of people walking straight past his gate. Some of them don’t even look down. He lets out a few soft barks to grab their attention. And one boy stops to take a quick smartphone clip before walking away entirely.
Fernando paces to the other side of the fence to check for more visitors. But the sidewalk just keeps emptying out. The volunteer who’s filming this finally approaches the mesh enclosure and reaches out a hand. Fernando immediately hops up and down with sweet, happy sniffs. But the clip ends with the pup sitting completely alone inside his regular shelter kennel. His ears are pulled back, and his face looks heartbreakingly sad.
The rescue group explains that Fernando is actually a bit timid at first. He tends to hide in the back of his crate when crowds get loud. And that shy nature unfortunately turns people off during busy public events. But a few treats and soft words quickly reveal his playful personality.
Fernando is fully vaccinated, and neutered. He gets along fantastically both, with kids and other dogs. He will probably grow to be between 60 and 100 pounds. The team is also facing a facility relocation soon. So they are working extra hard to place their animals.
The touching video showing the sad rescue dog pulled in over 3.7k likes from an emotional online crowd. Commenters are heartbroken over his expression. One viewer noted that he is absolutely precious and prays for a forever family to scoop him up.
