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A dog at a shelter that appeared to have no problem playing on her own has delighted users on TikTok.
The clip was shared on November 26 by the Metro East Humane Society (MEHS), an animal shelter in Illinois known as @metroeasthumanesociety on TikTok. In the footage, 2-year-old Frito is seen running around an empty yard, while holding a toy in her mouth and thrashing it about.
Mady O'Reilly, the MEHS development manager, told Newsweek that Frito came under the shelter's care on October 20, after being picked up as a stray by Madison County Animal Care and Control.
A message overlaid on the clip reads, "Frito when we told her that she's the only dog in the shelter who didn't get adopted this weekend," as the footage shows a hand caressing the dog's chin. A subsequent message reads, "Frito playing with her imaginary friends because she's not gonna let these play yards go to waste!" as the dog is shown playing alone in the yard.
O'Reilly told Newsweek on December 1 that "Frito has since been placed in a foster home, where she'll stay until she finds her forever home."
One of the greatest stressors for canines in animal shelters is social isolation, notes a March 2019 study in PeerJ.
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," according to the study.
The latest post comes as, each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
'A Spunky Girl' in Need of Forever Home
O'Reilly said that "all MEHS dogs are labeled as 'Supermutts,'" because the shelter does not use breed labels for their pets, "in line with the Animal Farm Foundation's removal of breed labels in rescue settings."
O'Reilly added: "Frito is what we at MEHS call a Unicorn. Unicorns are amazing, adoptable dogs who either require specific homes to meet their needs, are struggling in the shelter environment, or are simply being overlooked, which was definitely the case with her."
Frito was placed in a foster home with the help of the shelter's Unicorn Foster Program. This was made available with funding from the Best Friends Animal Society, according to the development manager.
"Frito is super fun and outgoing. She is very lively, happy, and has never met a stranger. Frito loves wrestling with other dogs and romping around with stuffed toys. She is a spunky girl that is bound to keep her forever family laughing," O'Reilly added.
The dog in the viral clip has melted the hearts of viewers on TikTok. User @niprey posted: "Frito, your family is coming sweet girl!"
Penelope & Elliott's mom wrote: "Frito you're gonna find your family and you will know love each and every day!"
User iris commented: "SENDING U LUV, FRITO!"
User patricadillon added: "someone needs to get her, no furbaby left behind."
LucaNachoLove posted: "Prayers that this sweetie finds her family."
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