A South Carolina animal shelter has shared footage of the moment two dogs were dumped outside their facility early one morning.
Greenville Humane Society posted a video, captured on CCTV, to its TikTok @gvlhumane showing a car pulling up early one morning to abandon the two dogs, later named Taylor and Travis by shelter staff.
“This all happened on August 28,” Greenville Humane Society told Newsweek. “The car in the video sat in our gravel parking lot for at least 30 minutes—about 20 minutes before letting the dogs loose and stayed around 10 minutes after the dogs were running around.”
The ASPCA charity says that, in 2024, 60 percent of all dogs and cats entering shelters in the U.S. did so as strays. An estimated 29 percent were surrendered by owners no longer able to care for them.
Taylor and Travis fall somewhere between the two, with their previous owner evidently looking to circumvent the shelter’s current system for taking in pets.
“We don’t know anything about their history or why they were abandoned on our property,” the Greenville Humane Society said. “Unfortunately, this has become a common practice for those wanting to surrender their pets. Due to space limitations, we’re booking weeks out for owner surrenders.”
But, while Taylor and Travis’s plight is a sadly familiar one, what makes it especially heartbreaking is the reaction of both dogs to being abandoned.
It is a reaction captured in the CCTV footage shared to TikTok. As the car that brought them to the shelter proceeds to drive away, Taylor and Travis can be seen hurriedly attempting to follow the vehicle.
The dogs appear confused. Following the car because, to them, in that moment, little else makes sense. Yet, in doing so, the two canines are also putting themselves in danger of being hit by another vehicle. Thankfully, that was avoided.
“Travis and Taylor were lucky. Our staff had already started arriving for our morning shifts, and easily leashed both dogs and brought them inside immediately,” Greenville Humane Society said.
“However, things could have ended very differently—they could have wandered too far away or even been hit by a car. We’re in a very busy location, so our biggest concern was immediately getting them into our care so we could ensure they were safe.”
The footage of their confused attempts at following their former owner proved difficult to watch for many on TikTok. “The running after the car broke my soul,” one viewer commented.
“How could people be so cruel,” another wrote, with a third adding: “people are so mean to animals for no reason, they have feelings too.”
After being coaxed inside, Taylor and Travis immediately hit it off with staff. “They were very social and great with our staff—so incredibly sweet and honestly unsure what happened to them,” the Greenville spokesperson said.
Even so, it took time for them to adjust to shelter life.
“The first few days, you could tell they were confused. They were shut down and didn’t understand why their lives had been uprooted so quickly,” Greenville Humane Society said.
“Our team has worked with them at their pace, teaching them that they’re safe here and that we’re going to love them and support them as long as they need until adoption.”
The aim now is to find Taylor and Travis a happy new forever home together. “We would love for them to either go to a home together, or, at a minimum, to a home with another dog,” Greenville Humane Society said.
“They’re very dog-social and enjoy the company with other pups and truly thrive in social settings. They’re gentle, walk well on a leash, and love to give kisses. We’re head over heels in love with them!”
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