Puppy Who Had 'Shut Down' at Shelter Is Unrecognizable in Heartwarming Clip

A shelter pup who was labeled as "shut down" has melted hearts online after his foster carer shared a video of him now. He looks like a totally different animal after being shown what love means by his new family and dog siblings.

In a post shared on TikTok earlier in August under the username @emilymascarenas27, the pup, Phillip, can be seen lying down at the back of his kennel at the shelter, shaking as if he was scared of people. The clip then shows him slowly opening up to his foster carer, whose patience and effort were rewarded as the dog's behavior is unrecognizable.

By the end of the video, the once-shy or scared dog can be seen socializing with his foster sibling and playing fetch with his carer, as if all he needed was just some love.

Phillip's foster carer told Newsweek: "After he realized he was safe, and loved, he really broke out of his shell. He has the best personality! His new favorite things are playing with other dogs, and playing fetch, and he loves his dog pool.

"He loves the water and mud. He would tip over the water bowl outside so he could play in the mud. We got him a dog pool, so now he just plays in that. The picture of him covered in mud was from when I let him inside, right before a bath. He is such a goofy dog and loves life.

"We are praying he gets a forever home. We really hope someone will love him like we do. I encourage anyone who can, to volunteer, foster, or adopt. The Tulsa Animal Welfare has so many amazing dogs available."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says around 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, some 3.1 million are dogs, and 3.2 million are cats.

The heartwarming picture of Phillip comes with a caption that reads: "I went to the local shelter to foster a dog. The one I went for got adopted earlier today, so we decided to take this shut-down puppy home. He immediately went to the back of the kennel when we got home. Thinking he is invisible if he doesn't move."

The poster added: "Update, new videos of the foster puppy added at the end. We started fostering this shut-down puppy a few days ago. Please consider fostering or adopting the less 'friendly' shelter pups."

The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received more than 1.6 million views and almost 100,000 likes on the platform.

One user, NanaDubbya, commented: "No matter how badly they've been treated they're always willing to give us one more chance. We don't deserve them. We really don't."

Colleen posted: "I truly believe you saved his life, and mended his broken heart." And Allison added: "Thank you for showing this puppy how to live as a happy dog. I'm so happy for the future you gave him."

If you want to foster an animal, you can contact your local shelter and send an application after making sure you know exactly what is expected from this role. The shelter staff will then assess you and let you know if you meet their criteria, as centers aim to place each dog with a safe family.

Update 9/6/23, 8:41 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Phillip's foster carer and new photos.

Update 9/6/23, 9:53 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Phillip's foster carer and new photos.

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.