A dog named Mayo has finally found a loving home after spending a year in a shelter and being returned four times.
In December, a heart-breaking video of the pit bull mix went viral as she was filmed sitting by the fence at Houston Pets Alive shelter in Texas. The on-screen text said: "You're the dog everyone walks past, the one nobody wants to take home."
The TikTok video shared by Maddie Cantrell, 23, who uses the handle @matildanfriends, racked up 1.5 million views and 309,500 likes.
Cantrell, a lead volunteer at the shelter, told Newsweek about Mayo's history. She said: "Mayo has been in and out of the shelter since a puppy, she has been adopted but sadly returned 4 times.
"The reason for this was that the person who adopted her as a pup never properly trained her or socialized her with other dogs, so when she became an adult, she was a lot to handle. She was dog reactive meaning she did not like other dogs."
The last time she returned was in December 2021 and she spent a whole year at the shelter without a foster.
"She would constantly get overlooked because of her size and demeanor with other dogs."
In 2021, a group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, looked into the behavior of shelter dogs.
Three animal shelters located in different regions of the United States participated in the study that was published by Frontiers.
The final sample included 427 relinquished dogs and more than two-thirds of the owners reported their dog had no behavior problems (69.3%), 23.7 percent reported their dog had minor behavior problems and 5.9 percent reported moderate problems and 1.2 percent reported serious problems.
Ryan Williams, 42, believes all shelter dogs should be given a chance, which is why he decided to adopt Mayo.
Williams, a school band director, told Newsweek: "I think it's also important to know that almost all dog behaviors are learned & conditioned behaviors—so if their dog isn't behaving right, it's because they were taught incorrectly or not at all.
"It's not their fault. Take some time with a rescue dog to help them learn what good behavior is and be patient with them. They'll respond with love."
Williams was drawn to Mayo from the moment he saw her on the shelter's website.
He said: "Mayo's 'headshot' on the H.P.A. website was a great picture—she had a really typical, ear-to-ear Pittie smile.
"Her personality in her photos looked great. When I met her that afternoon, she was full of love immediately."
Williams, from Houston, told Newsweek the shelter staff was "open" about Mayo's history from the get-go. She lived with him from December 29 and he officially adopted her on January 17.
He said: "Her first couple weeks at home were a little tough. In some ways, she didn't take any time to open up in her new home as she picked her spot on the couch immediately!
"The biggest thing was her getting used to my schedule. I teach 10-12 hours a day more often than not. The first couple of weeks, she would be very high-strung when I got home. She's gotten much better about the hours since."
Williams has since set up an Instagram account to document Mayo's progress. The second post introducing the duo said: "I'm grateful for my friends from @houstonpetsalive and everything they did to help me, but I think this new hooman is going to be sufficient."
Approximately 3.1 million dogs enter U.S. shelters per year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Over half are adopted yearly (2 million) and around 390,000 dogs are euthanized.
Williams encourages others to adopt, not shop, saying: "Rescue dogs are amazing. All dogs have big hearts and they love their people—they just need to be in the right home and the right environment."
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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