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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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Hearts have broken over a dog's face after he spent more than 200 days in a shelter waiting for his forever home.
In a video shared by Animal House Shelter in Huntley, Illinois, 2-year-old Alaskan Malamute and American Staffordshire Terrier mix Indiana is seen wagging his tail on his first day in the shelter.
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But the tone changes as the video cuts to day 215, where Indiana's hopeful demeanor has visibly waned.
The video struck a chord with viewers, gaining more than 760,000 views on TikTok and breaking hearts.
Alongside the video, the shelter wrote: "Sweet Indiana is not giving up! But he is so ready to find his forever home. Come meet him at Animal House Shelter in Huntley, Illinois."
Indiana was relinquished because he wasn't getting along with one of the dogs in his home. "He lived with three other dogs and it sounds like there was a dominance issue with just one of the dogs," Animal House Shelter told Newsweek.
Despite his long stay in the shelter, Indiana remains positive. A reserved dog who needs time to get comfortable with new people, he would thrive in a household with older children or adults.
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While he isn't fond of cats, he does enjoy car rides and playing in the water. He's well-trained and knows commands including "heel," "sit," "quiet," and even "hugs."
"Indiana is a very shy guy with new people so we think that is why he hasn't been adopted yet," the shelter said. "He would do best in an adult only home because of this shyness. Once he knows you, though, he is the absolute sweetest. He just needs someone willing to earn his trust so he can show his wonderful personality. We hope that we can place him in an adoptive or forever home very soon."
In 2023, 6.5 million animals entered U.S. shelters, according to Shelter Animals Count, up 4 percent when compared to 2022 intakes. At the end of 2023, 117,000 additional dogs and cats were in the animal sheltering system compared to the same time the year before.
Around 850,000 animals were euthanized in shelters in 2023, a rise of 15 percent when compared to 2022. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
Seeing Indiana's face still waiting for a home, TikTok viewers reacted in the comments.
"These videos break my heart. I just want to adopt all of the shelter dogs," said Chrystal.
While viewer patriciadillon said: "I don't understand why these dogs r there so long look at this sweetheart."
"Wait. This dog is perfect," said viewer IB, struggling to understand why Indiana was still waiting for a home. "How."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
UPDATE 7/3/2024 06:05 a.m. ET: This story was updated with video and additional comment from the shelter.
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