An animal shelter volunteer has shared footage of a senior dog who was found tied to a tree having been left there by her previous owner.
Bruna, a volunteer at Cobb County Animal Services in Georgia, posted a clip of Bertha the dog to her TikTok, @Sharing.lov3, explaining how the sweet pup was abandoned after "8 years of loyalty," which refers to the dog's age.
"She was found tied to a tree, so someone got her and brought her to the shelter," Bruna told Newsweek. "Her body shows the signs of having had many puppies throughout her life."
New arrivals often struggle with the hustle and bustle of life in a busy animal shelter.
A study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior found dogs in the shelter for their first, second or third day had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who had been there longer.
Bruna noticed that Bertha was different though. "Bertha is a couch potato," she said. "When I first met her at the shelter, she didn't want to get out of bed."
It was clear to her that Bertha was actually enjoying being in the warmth and safety of her kennel. That prompted a moment of heartbreaking realization. "Maybe she never really had the comfort of a nice, warm, soft bed," Bruna said. "That's why she likes her shelter bed so much."
There's a sense that Bertha is happy to have found some form of security in her life. "The way she looks and interacts with us looks like she is just happy that someone loves and cares about her," Bruna said.
The focus now is on securing her the happy future she so desperately deserves.
Finding someone willing to give Bertha that chance may not necessarily be that straightforward, given her age. In 2015, a study conducted by Priceonomics showed the difficulties senior shelter dogs face when it comes to being adopted.
The study, based on data compiled from the adoption website Petfinder, found that 68 percent of senior dogs listed on the website ended up finding new homes. By comparison, 95 percent of puppies were adopted.
Bertha has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about her chances though. For one thing, she has Bruna fighting her corner. The video she posted to her TikTok about Bertha has already gotten a big response.
"She is the sweetest baby," one viewer wrote in the comments section accompanying the clip. "Someone please save her and spoil her rotten for the rest of her life I'm begging you."
Another wrote: "This is so wrong and so sad" while a third added: "Don't make me drive to Georgia. Y'all better go get this baby."
Bruna has spent more time than most with Bertha and, in her opinion, she would be "a great fit for any family."
"She has been so quiet and sweet at the shelter. I don't even need to hold the leash to walk her. She doesn't pull at all and she keeps looking back at me with the biggest smile during her walk," she said.
"She absolutely loves a bed and blankets. As soon as you give her one she will just go on the bed and curl up and look so grateful. Since she came in as a stray, we don't know how she is around other dogs or cats. But during our walks when other dogs walk by she just wags her tail and doesn't pay them much attention."
Anyone interested in adopting Bertha is urged to get in touch with the shelter. If they happen to have any cats or dogs themselves, they should set up a meet and greet to test suitability. Bertha is ready and waiting for her chance at the happy forever home she's always wished for.