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A video of a rescue dog that sees crates as his safe space has gone viral on TikTok.
The video was shared by @milothehuskyrescue, the TikTok account of a husky rescue dog that is six years old, according to the profile. The clip had over 163,000 views at the time of writing.
A message overlaid on the video says: "The shelter told us that our husky loved crates, so we got him one." The footage shows a husky snoozing on a blanket in the corner of an enclosure.
"But we didn't realize it was because...lonely nights was all he knew. His crate was a safe space," says another message across the clip.
Social isolation is among the greatest stressors for canines in animal shelters, noted a March 2019 study in PeerJ.
Previous research has shown that "human interaction reduces cortisol [a hormone regulating stress] in shelter dogs, with the possibility that longer periods of interaction may yield greater effects," the study said.
The study found that "dogs' cortisol: creatinine ratios dropped significantly during their fostering stay, but returned to baseline levels after return to the shelter."
According to a later comment by the original poster, the crate is the husky's "favorite spot in the house." A caption shared with the viral video says: "This boy is so loved."
Several TikTokers were moved by the husky rescue in the clip, with some sharing similar stories of their own pets.
User juanitacalderon78 wrote: "Pretty soon he'll know he has a choice now," and Nancy
said: "He won't be lonely anymore."
Rosegold88 noted: "My husky loves his crate too, I made it so nice cover the whole thing he loves it."
Another poster, user2240435720221, wrote: "I've had a hound mix for four months. She's graduated from the day cage but still asks to sleep in her cage at night. It's her safe space to sleep deeply."
Riley'sMomma said: "Took six months for my husky rescue before she learned the whole house (minus where ever the roomba is lol) is a safe place..."
Kenneth4530 wrote: "My family rescued a dog. She still liked being/sleeping alone sometimes and it's been almost four years to the day since she was rescued."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more