On TikTok, the account Good Boy Home Gone shared a clip of an elderly shelter dog.
The footage captures the moment he walks past a car, a seemingly unremarkable act that has deeply moved viewers.
200 days in the shelter
The dog, named Mateo, had spent over 200 days at the shelter. To offer him some comfort and a break from the shelter, a volunteer decided to take the elderly canine home for the night.
As the shelter explained, "An overnight stay with a volunteer gives a dog a break from the cold and noise." It also provides "an opportunity to gather important information about the animal's behaviour that can be shared with potential adopters."
However, when the volunteer returned Mateo to the shelter the next day, his behaviour was telling: "I noticed that every time we went for a walk at the shelter and passed a car, he tried to get in."
The animal welfare worker immediately understood what Mateo was trying to express: he was desperate to go home. He wasn’t fussy about whose car it was; he just longed for a place to call his own.
A plea for adoption
The sadness of the situation has not gone unnoticed by viewers of the TikTok video. "Oh my God, please adopt this dog," one user pleaded.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Mateo soon finds a loving family and a forever home where he truly belongs.
