Once a heartbroken shelter dog, now a beloved family pet. This pit bull’s journey from sorrow to joy is a tale that will warm your heart.
Sarah Sleime, a regular volunteer at the Greater Charlotte SPCA, was visiting a North Carolina shelter run by Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control when she chanced upon a pit bull who seemed unusually downcast. The dog looked so human-like with her slumped posture and solemn expression that Sarah felt compelled to get closer.
“I was walking up and down the kennels when I saw this pit bull sitting there, looking so sad and human-like,” Sarah told The Dodo. “I had to bend over and start talking to her.”
Upon closer inspection, Sarah realized the pit bull had recently given birth. The seven-year-old dog, named Cinnamon, was without her puppies and appeared to be crying. Although it’s not confirmed if dogs shed emotional tears like humans, Sarah did not doubt that Cinnamon was in distress.
“She had been surrendered recently and was extremely overweight. We believe she was confined and used as a breeding machine. She’s had many litters,” Sarah explained.
Knowing that the Greater Charlotte SPCA couldn’t accommodate such a large dog, Sarah took matters into her own hands. She recorded a 37-second video of Cinnamon and posted it on Facebook, capturing the pit bull’s sorrowful state. The caption read:
“Someone dumped this poor mama at the shelter, minus her babies. Every time I stopped to talk to her and say I was sorry her eyes would fill with tears.”
Sarah’s video took the internet by storm, racking up 700,000 views on the first day alone. Messages from potential adopters worldwide flooded in. Among those moved by Cinnamon’s plight was Meghan Shelton, a friend of Sarah, who decided to give the pit bull a forever home.
“I have a special place in my heart for pit bulls. They’re a very misunderstood breed. And when I saw her in that video, literally crying in a cage, I cried. My kids cried. My husband agreed we would go look at her the next day,” Meghan shared with The Dodo.
The Sheltons were the first in line to meet Cinnamon. It was love at first sight for both humans and dogs.
“She was super sweet. My kids were on the floor with her, and she sat on their laps and showered them with kisses,” Meghan reminisced.
They promptly filled out the adoption paperwork and renamed their new family member Rosie. Rosie also gained a canine sibling, a three-year-old pit bull named Blu.
Rosie’s transition into her new home was smooth. Meghan initially planned to introduce Rosie and Blu slowly, but Rosie was eager to socialize. “They just kind of sat next to each other with tails wagging,” Meghan explained.
Sarah updated her original Facebook post with the happy news of Rosie’s adoption, bringing this heartwarming story full circle. And so, a pit bull who once cried in a shelter now wags her tail happily in her forever home.
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