Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter
Hearts have been broken as a rescue dog was returned to the shelter just two days after being adopted.
Soldier is a 3-year-old Staffy and Old English bulldog cross breed and is currently living at Dogs' Refuge Home in Australia.
Surrendered by his owner because they weren't able to look after him anymore, the happy and bouncy pup came into the shelter's care from a local pound.
Recently, Soldier did have a chance at a new happy ending when he was adopted by a new family—but just two days later he was returned to the shelter.
"He was returned as he needs further training than the owner was willing to work with," Jasmin Suter from Dogs' Refuge Home told Newsweek.
Back at the shelter, Soldier isn't coping very well with shelter life. "He was fine when he arrived but it's been months now and he is feeling stressed," explained Suter.
An active pup, he loves regular outings and river or beach walks. Sociable, he likes to interact with other dogs and could live with older children.
"His perfect home would be with another dog and with experienced dog owners," said Suter.
Sometimes animals are returned to shelters because things don't work out. Like the dog who was "confused" after being returned to the shelter in July 2023, while Drogo the American pit bull who waited over 500 days for adoption was returned after just one week.
The team at Dogs' Refuge Home decided to draw attention to dogs being returned to the shelter with a TikTok video that has now been viewed over 130,000 times.
"It was nice while it lasted, right?" read the text overlay on the video which showed not just Soldier but a whole host of dogs who had been returned.
Hunta returned after two years, Luna after two and a half years and Sylvester who was taken back to the shelter after 8 months in a new home.
In hundreds of comments, people shared their reactions to the animals being returned to the shelter after finding a home.
"While I hate to see this I'm glad they are back with you instead of being abandoned or dumped," said TikTok user Lex on the video.
While Jadz said: "Two days?! I wish I lived in a rental where I could have Soldier. I've had my eye on them for so long."
"It breaks my heart into million pieces," said LordCardigansServant. "Nothing ever could happen that we would give our boy back. Nothing."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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