Shock at Woman's Wild Discovery After Adopting Dog: 'Couldn't Make This Up'

A new pet owner got more than she bargained for after adopting a dog from a shelter in Texas.

In a video posted to TikTok under the handle accidentalgrandma, the woman shows her partner with their new canine companion, Sandy. However, as the clip soon reveals, a few more furry friends came along for the ride. As it turned out, Sandy was pregnant and gave birth to a litter of cubs just a couple of weeks after moving in with her new family.

"Adopted our first dog and it turned out to be our first 6," an on-screen caption reads, with the TikToker adding that you "couldn't make this up."

Though the couple behind the clip were initially taken aback, they decided to keep all five puppies as their own. It's an amazing reaction and one that, sadly, goes against the grain in stories of this kind. Since then, they have been regularly posting updates about their young dog family enjoying their life.

Newsweek has reached out to accidentalgrandma for comment via TikTok.

Taking on any pet comes with a significant amount of responsibility, but there are plenty of benefits to having a four-legged companion. In a 2018 study published in the academic journal BMC Psychiatry, researchers conducted an extensive review of previously published papers detailing the impact of animals like cats and dogs on owners with mental health problems.

Seventeen different studies were included in the final review, which ultimately found that pets had a positive effect when it came to helping their owners manage feelings and were also something of a welcome distraction from the normal stress of their lives.

Researchers noted how the studies found that animals were often seen as positive, nonjudgmental companions that not only helped to alleviate loneliness but also encouraged physical activity such as walking, which had an impact on overall health.

While Sandy's owners were no doubt surprised that their one dog became a family of six, they seem to have settled into a happy routine and would not have things any other way.

Nevertheless, the clip capturing this surprising turn of events had many on social media stunned, to say the least.

"Ahhh!" one user wrote. "Congratulations?!" a second asked. "Same thing happened to my parents," one TikToker joked.

It would appear Sandy and her owners are turning what might have been a negative into the best kind of positive. Some dogs are not so lucky, though.

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, at 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, 24Petwatch's 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.

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.