Heartbreaking reason: a small dog left at the shelter with a “wardrobe” of outfits

Animal lovers’ hearts have broken over a ‘scared’ dog abandoned at a shelter with his entire wardrobe.

Ziggy the dog was a beloved pet, but when her owner became elderly and ill, they were no longer able to care for her, said Saving Sage Animal staff member Michelle Reichler. Rescue Foundation. News week.

“As is often the case, the family didn’t want to take care of her and she was left with a whole wardrobe,” Reichler said. “It’s a story that plays out daily in every rescue, everywhere and on a large scale.”

A video of Ziggy trying to adjust to a new life at the shelter has gone viral, with Florida-based Saving Sage receiving a large number of applications for the scared and nervous pup.

Shared to the TikTok account @_thatdoggirl_ on December 5, it showed Ziggy huddled in a crate with big, scared eyes, wearing her remaining pink tutu.

User Dali wrote through the video: “She was delivered to the shelter in her tutu dress with her entire wardrobe in a trash bag.”

Dali’s short but powerful clip had a huge response, having been viewed more than 1.4 million times, as thousands of animal lovers commented on it, with one saying: “If she has a wardrobe, someone loved her very much, how sad.”

“Poor baby,” said another. “What happened?” Who would do that?

Some lashed out at her previous owner, but as one pointed out: “She was loved. We don’t know what the other person is going through that she had to make this difficult decision . It’s so sad.”

Reichler echoed that sentiment, after explaining that Ziggy’s owner had become too old and sick to care for his dog any longer. For now, she said, Ziggy is “in foster care with one of my neighbors” but is currently “extremely nervous and scared.”

“Once she decompresses, everything will be fine, I’m sure,” she added.

Ziggy’s video going viral sparked major interest in the pup, Reichler said News week they are “sorting through MANY applications” to adopt him.

“We think she will do best in a nice, quiet home, preferably without screaming kids,” Reichler said, adding that Ziggy’s foster family might even end up keeping the sweet dog.

And as a little bonus, she revealed: “We are happy to give all her clothes to her new adopter!”

Each year, approximately 3.1 million dogs enter animal shelters in the United States, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

But some have happy endings, as the ASPCA reports that 2 million dogs, as well as 2.1 million cats, are adopted each year.

Newsweek reached out to @_thatdoggirl_ on TikTok for comment on this story.

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