This heartbreaking photo of dog waiting for his deceased owner prompts adoption offers from around the world

Facebook / Eleventh Hour Rescue

When people die, their loved ones are left behind to mourn them, and that includes our furry friends. A photo of a 3-year-old Lab mix, Moose, standing by his deceased owner’s empty hospital bed recently went viral, prompting adoption offers from across the nation.

Moose was adopted a year ago through Eleventh Hour Rescue, whose staffers initially found him tied to a railroad sign in front of an animal shelter in rural Georgia in August 2017. When his owner tragically died of cancer a year after adopting Moose, the Lab was bereft.

The organization posted a heartbreaking photo to Facebook before taking him back into their care.

“Moose sat patiently next to his dad’s hospital bed, waiting for him to return, not knowing that ‘Dad’ had passed away,” they wrote. “Poor Moose has now been returned to Eleventh Hour Rescue and he’s taking the loss of his dad pretty hard.”

It wasn’t long, though, before he found his new forever home with a family in New Jersey. Eleventh Hour Rescue updated their original post on June 22 to let everyone know that Moose had found a home:

“MOOSE HAS BEEN ADOPTED by a wonderful family who will care for and love him for the rest of his life!” reads the update alongside the touching photo.

Aww! Although Moose’s viral photo attracted tons of potential families, the sad reality is that many other dogs in need of homes are not so lucky.

“So many dogs are euthanized that need a home every day that are perfectly wonderful dogs,” Linda Barish, a volunteer and a member of the executive committee at Eleventh Hour, told “Good Morning America.” “What I hope is that it brings awareness to rescues and people will commit to adopting and not shopping.”

We’re so glad Moose found a home. Here’s hoping his story will inspire others to adopt dogs in need!

Animals, Good News, News, Pets
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About the Author
Kate Streit
Kate Streit lives in Chicago. She enjoys stand-up comedy, mystery novels, memoirs, summer and pumpkin spice anything. Visit Scripps News to see more of Kate's work.

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