Huskies Left Behind After Owners Moved Out Now Seek a Forever Home
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A heartbreaking story of abandonment online has underscored the immense responsibility of pet ownership.
The Humane Society of Richland County took to Facebook to share a story that has both infuriated and touched the hearts of many: two huskies were left behind by their owners who had moved out of their residence. While the pups are now in safe hands, the story left Facebook users beside themselves considering who would abandon their dogs without putting a plan of care in place.
The shelter's Facebook post, which detailed the rescue, read: "When people move out and leave their animals behind. Our humane agents just removed two young, beautiful huskies from a residence after the owners moved out and left them behind. Yes, we are filing charges."
An agent cuddles one of the rescued huskies.
An agent cuddles one of the rescued huskies.
Humane Society of Richland County/Facebook
The post included a photo of one of the huskies, a male, receiving affectionate scratches from humane agent Aleigha, who was enjoying "kisses of gratitude from the boy of this beautiful duo."
The organization ended its message with a plea to the public: "Please stop getting animals if you're not going to commit to a lifetime of care for them. It's getting really old."
A Common and Heartbreaking Story
The post resonated with countless people, many of whom shared their own stories of witnessing or experiencing similar acts of cruelty.
"Some people are unbelievable," one user commented, sharing a personal anecdote of their commitment to their own dogs. "I worried what would happen if I became homeless with my three dogs. I pack just my clothes, so I had room in car for dogs. I drove 800 miles to make sure we stayed together. Thank God for family."
Others simply couldn't comprehend how someone could abandon a pet.
"I can't understand how anyone could do that," another wrote. "My dogs have always been family. I thought long and hard before getting mine, looked up the breed, seen how big they could get and what medical issues this breed may have."
"Would've thought nobody was that mean … until we got our Buddy!" a commenter shared. "Apartment dwellers were evicted and snuck out in the middle of the night … leaving behind this adorable baby! Well … he's ours now and loved so much!"
The severity of such actions was highlighted by another user who shared a deeply disturbing story from a family member.
"My brother found a little dog in the closet left behind from tenants that skipped out on rent. He could barely hear it and thought it was probably nothing," they wrote. "Was about to leave but decided to check. And there it was out of breath, no water, no food and tied up in the closet! What horrible monsters do this." This commenter's brother took the dog home, and the pup "gave my mom several years."
Hope for the Future
Despite the outrage, the dominant sentiment in the comments was relief and optimism for the two abandoned huskies.
"So happy they're safe now," one person said, while another felt the same sense of gratitude that the dogs were found in time. "Thank God they were found and saved on time. Those poor babies."
The Humane Society of Richland County's post serves as a reminder of the commitment required to care for pets. While the story of these two abandoned huskies is heartbreaking, it is tempered by the comfort of knowing they are now safe, well-cared for and will be given a chance at a new life with a family who will truly cherish them.
Newsweek reached out to The Humane Society of Richland County for comment via email.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Tears at Cat's Response to Owners Saying Goodbye to Beloved Dog: 'Mourning'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The owner of a semi-feral cat who has spent 16 years being wary around her owners has pleaded for advice after she suddenly decided to be extremely affectionate. Tyler Shields lives in Wendell, North Carolina, with his wife. Heather, who, he told Newsweek, worked for eight years as a vet technician; she "would bring home random homeless cats that were brought into the office." At one point, the family, which includes their 8-year-old daughter Amelia, had four cats—and in 2009, welcomed feral barn kitten Katara, who, despite spending her whole life with them, "always remained incredibly skittish around people, even us." Describing Katara as having an attitude of "admire me from afar and leave me alone," and who would sometimes not be seen at all until feeding time, Shields said his daughter "tried so hard to bond with her because she is such a pretty cat, but she has only had luck when treats are involved." However, things changed overnight when the family lost their dog, Gibbs, whom they had adopted from a shelter in 2014. "He was lanky and ungraceful, so the cats gave him a wide berth unless he was standing still," Shields said of their 80-pound dog, whom they believe may have been part-pit bull and part-Great Dane. "They knew he didn't mean them any harm, but he rarely paid attention to where he was going and there was a risk of him stepping on them if they weren't careful." When Gibbs suddenly fell ill, starting with not eating his breakfast and rapidly progressing to becoming dizzy and disoriented, the family rushed him to the vet—but "there was realistically nothing they could do, so we had to say goodbye that very day." The family was devastated, as, in the past few years, they had lost three other animals—"the worst part of having so many pets around the same age." But, that very night, something happened: Katara hopped up on Heather's lap as they watched TV, and "was begging for attention, and nuzzling her." Katara, left, and, right, Gibbs the dog rest at home. Katara, left, and, right, Gibbs the dog rest at home. Reddit u/GWindborn / Tyler Shields "The next morning, I was making coffee, and she hopped up on a stool next to me and was nuzzling my leg," Shields said. "I reached down to scratch her head and went back to what I was doing, and she started pawing at me to come back and give her more attention. "After that, she proceeded to follow me to my home office, which she never really ventures into, and laid beside me while I worked," Shields added. Ever since then, it is as if Katara had a personality change overnight, and has been "practically glued to our side, always sitting with us or nuzzling us or just making her presence known." Shields described it as "very out of character for a cat who has spent 16 years spending most of her days hiding under the bed between meals." Katara's change in character was so strange that Shields took to Reddit to share the story, posting to r/cats via his account u/GWindborn on August 10. He wrote that Katara was "oddly affectionate and needy after we lost our dog." Shields asked: "Does she know we're in mourning or something? Or. is she happy he's gone and was intimidated by him all these years? Or is she just being weird and finding herself at [around] 16?" Holistic pet health coach Melissa Sherman of Calming Creek told Newsweek that there could be "several possible explanations" to Katara's sudden personality switch. "She may be feeling and responding to the family's grief, offering comfort in her own way, or she may have felt intimidated by the dog and is now more relaxed and open without that dynamic," Sherman said. "Sometimes, senior cats also soften with age and seek more connection as their own needs change. From an intuitive perspective, she could also be stepping into a new role in the family's emotional life." From left: Katara is pictured resting at home. From left: Katara is pictured resting at home. Reddit u/GWindborn / Tyler Shields Reddit users flooded the post with words of encouragement and sympathy, awarding it close to 40,000 upvotes, as one commenter wrote: "Aw man, our furry pals feel loss too, it's tough. Your kitty probably misses the company and needs extra cuddles." Another added, "She lost her mortal enemy, aka her best friend. Extra love is required," while one said that "cats are a lot more empathetic than they're given credit for." One shared their own story: "I stayed at a friend's house the day after a difficult breakup once and their cat stayed glued to me, purring, the whole time. Even slept on top of me all night. "It was a far cry from his normal behavior, I'm still convinced he knew I was sad." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'A gut punch': Indy program that offered parking spots to people living in autos shuts down
An Indianapolis program that allowed people to sleep in their cars without fear of relocation has abruptly ended. Safe Park Indy, which launched Oct. 1, 2024, offered free overnight spots in private parking lots for up to 60 days at a time. It was the first initiative of its kind in the state and was intended as a year-long pilot program. People staying in Safe Park Indy spots were provided with resources including bathroom access, hygiene supplies and food. "Our small organization, unfortunately, lacks the resources to scale beyond our pilot," the organization's website said on Aug. 13. Between five and 20 spots were available nightly, but more than 400 people applied for the program before its waitlist was shut down, according to founder Elizabeth Friedland. More than 1,800 people in Indianapolis were homeless on a given night in Indianapolis as of January 2025, up from 1,700 a year earlier. "This is a gut punch," Friedland wrote in a Facebook post on Aug. 12. She said she plans to reach out to nonprofits in the area to see if they'd be able to take on the program moving forward. "I'm unwilling to let Safe Park Indy die," Friedland wrote in an email to IndyStar. Friedland stepped down as Safe Park Indy's executive director in January 2025, citing the organization's need for a leader who could "intentionally, full-time steer the organization to success for hopefully many years to come." More: Indianapolis program aims to close homeless camps, place 350 residents into housing A "document outlining our learnings" will be available at some point in the future, Safe Park Indy's website said. The organization was funded entirely by private donors and the closure was not caused by federal cuts to money allotted for nonprofits, Friedland told IndyStar. Donations given to Safe Park Indy after Feb. 15, 2025 will be refunded, the organization's website said. The program's closing comes as Indianapolis leaders plan to clear out homeless camps and relocate their approximately 350 residents to supportive housing, the first part of a multi-year plan called Streets to Home Indy. A low-barrier shelter that will provide 150 overnight beds is not expected to open until 2027.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
Hawaii Red Hill Water Contamination Lawsuit Expands
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal court filings in Honolulu showed that attorneys representing people who said they were sickened by the November 2021 Red Hill jet fuel spill had added more than 6,000 additional plaintiffs to a consolidated lawsuit against the United States, the amended complaint stated. The expansion came after years of litigation and research into health effects tied to the U.S. Navy fuel release that contaminated drinking water systems serving homes on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. The amended complaint cited recent studies and sought to press the government toward settlement for thousands of additional claimants. Why It Matters The Red Hill facility sits above an aquifer that supplies water to large parts of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The November 20, 2021, release of jet fuel into the Navy water system affected residents in military housing and raised broader concerns about the island's drinking water security. Stock image of a scientist testing water for contamination. Stock image of a scientist testing water for contamination. Getty Images What To Know The amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu added more than 6,000 plaintiffs and said the two lead law firms now represent roughly 7,000 claimants who alleged injury from fuel-tainted tap water. Separately, previously filed consolidated litigation listed 17 "bellwether" plaintiffs who went to trial and were viewed as representatives for thousands of pending claims; the Associated Press reported in April 2024 that those plaintiffs represented "a cross-selection of relatives of military members representing more than 7,500 others, including service members." The U.S. government filed court documents that admitted the November 20, 2021, spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility "caused a nuisance," the AP reported, and breached a duty of care, though it disputed that exposure levels were high enough to cause the specific long-term health effects alleged by plaintiffs. The awards in Feindt v. United States list each bellwether plaintiff's damages. The court awarded general damages (pain/suffering), plus $1,000 hedonic damages to each plaintiff, and limited special damages (future medical expenses for four plaintiffs; a small economic loss for one): General damages (each): Aubart $37,500; Dietz $37,500; B.D. $37,500; V.D. $25,000; Feindt $37,500; P.G.F. $10,000; T.F. $5,000; Freeman $75,000; D.F. $10,000; K.F. $50,000; N.F. $50,000; Jessup $37,500; B.B.J. $75,000; B.J.J. $75,000; D.J. $5,000; N.J. $10,000; Witt $37,500. (Plus $1,000 hedonic damages to each plaintiff.) Special damages (future medical): Dietz $7,322.71; P.G.F. $4,953.36; Freeman $28,876.01; Jessup $6,962.41. Special damages (economic): Feindt $2,144. The amended complaint also cited recent health studies that plaintiffs said strengthened their claims, including a Defense Department study that reported a higher incidence of new migraines and esophageal inflammation among those exposed and a University of Hawaii survey that found roughly 80 percent of affected residents reported new or worsened symptoms after the spill. What People Are Saying Kristina Baehr, an attorney with Just Well Law, in a news release: "These families prevailed against all odds against the Government in court, and they helped prove to the world what truly happened when the Navy poisoned the water supply near Pearl Harbor and sickened so many." Richelle Dietz, a mother of two and wife of a Naval officer, told the Associated Press: "I hope that one day I can not think about water all the time. But right now it's a constant." What Happens Next The plaintiffs' legal teams said they were negotiating with government attorneys about a potential settlement for the larger pool of claimants using the bellwether awards as a baseline. If lawyers for the plaintiffs and the government did not reach a settlement, additional phases of litigation and further bellwether trials would likely determine the scope of recoverable damages for the remaining claimants, legal experts said in prior coverage of the consolidated cases. The Red Hill site remained in the process of defueling, and a long-term closure plan was underway; local officials and water authorities have continued efforts to protect Oahu's aquifer and municipal supplies from further contamination, HawaiiNewsNow reported.
