Watch Husky's Heartbreaking Deterioration Over 430 Days in Animal Shelter

A video showing the heartbreaking transformation a husky during 430 days in an animal shelter without being adopted has been shared online.

Footage showing Ace on his first day at the shelter was shared to social media by Sonoma County Animal Services in California. Upon arrival, the husky was bouncing, bright and happy. An onscreen caption notes how he was seemingly "hopeful about being adopted."

The clip then cuts to Ace on his 431st day at the shelter with viewers greeted by a very different looking dog. The energy and excitement that was present on his first day appears to have gone, with Ace cutting a forlorn figure, sitting low on floor of his enclosure, gazing off sadly into the distance.

"Ace is still here! He is beyond ready to find his person," an accompanying caption reads. "Ace loves swimming, talking, and treats. He is super smart and very husky. He is a total goober and a huge sweetheart."

Emma Diemert, shelter supervisor at Sonoma County Animal Services, told Newsweek more about the sad circumstances that led to Ace's arrival at the shelter on May 26, 2022. "Ace was brought in as a stray but had a microchip," she said. "The owner decided to surrender him."

Despite this rejection, Diemert noted that Ace has all the necessary qualities to fit in with most families. "He's energetic, vocal, and has a unique personality. He knows basic commands and when you ask him to sit, he will but he will sometimes provide a small howl before he does it," she said.

"Ace LOVES treats – he's an expert at catching them in midair. He also really loves water, and you can almost always find him splashing around when he's outside. From what we've seen, he does get along with other dogs. He loves to wrestle! Overall, he's a very goofy and fun dog!"

Yet still, he remains at the shelter.

It's important to note that being adopted can often come down to a single, brief interaction with a prospective owner. In a 2014 study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, researchers exploring adopter-dog interactions at animal shelters in the U.S. noted that the majority of shelter visitors only request to interact with a single dog.

More notably still, these interactions last for an average of eight minutes. During that time, two behaviors were found to influence adoption decisions: whether the dogs listened to attempts to initiate play or if they lay in close proximity to the visitor.

It's impossible to know how Ace behaved in these situations or whether he has even had the chance to make an impression on a possible owner. However, the video shared to TikTok by Sonoma County Animal Services appears to have made a mark with over 500,000 views and dog fans flocking to shower Ace with affection.

"This made me cry," one viewer wrote, with another demanding: "send him to me." A third added: "I wish I could save all the huskies" with a fourth pleading: "Someone please give this poor baby a home!"

Though Ace has yet to find his new forever home, he has developed something of a fan base and there are plenty of stories out there to give him hope."Ace very recently received fan mail! We made baseball cards for some of our dogs which included Ace," Diemert said.

"When a young boy was visiting his grandparents, he collected some of those cards. He wrote a letter saying thank you for the cards and to tell Ace and Willow (another dog we adopted out) "Hello!" We wrote this young boy back and gave him additional baseball cards, stickers, and a photo of Ace with his letter. It was so sweet!"

If there's hope for Ace, there's hope for other dogs out there.

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