10
Loading video...
By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A rescue dog has developed the most heartwarming of habits after escaping a crowded shelter with a stay at a foster carer's house.
Jennifer Chung from Atlanta, Georgia, has loved having Chilli in her home. So much so, in fact, she gave her a new name. "Her name is Havana but we call her Chilli because she's been so chill!," Chung told Newsweek.
In truth, Chilli came along at a time when Chung was in need of some additional canine company. "We lost our senior dog of 11 years in January and Chilli has been such a help in the grieving process," she said.
Read More
What Female Dog Did As Owner Miscarried Breaks Hearts: ‘She Knew’4 min read
Senior Shelter Dog Does Same Heartbreaking Thing Every Time He Passes Car4 min read
Couple Try To Guess Rescue Dog’s Breed—Unprepared for What DNA Test Reveals4 min read
The feeling was surely mutual for Chilli. She had spent three long months in the shelter without being adopted, before catching Chung's eye on social media and the organization LifeLine, the largest animal welfare organization in Georgia, which helps over 43,000 pets every year. "A volunteer in a Facebook group shared photos and videos about her," Chung said. "They even made a cute bingo card about her great characteristics and I decided to go meet her."
...
That initial period in the shelter can be a shock to the system for any dog. A 2006 study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior noted that, over the first 10 days of a shelter stay, dogs had elevated levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress.
In the first three days of their stay, cortisol levels were found to be almost three times higher than that of an ordinary household dog. The study also highlighted the important role human interaction can have in reducing those levels though. That's what makes foster carers like Chung such an important component of the animal rescue ecosystem.
If there was ever a dog in need of the kind of close care and attention a foster stay brings, it was Chilli. "She was found on the streets and probably had a litter before," Chung said. "When she came to our care she was housebroken and crate-trained. She definitely had a home before."
Though Chung already had two older rescue dogs, Chilli "fit right in." As time has passed, however, she's started to notice Chilli has developed an unusual habit around the house.
"As she got more comfortable in our home, I'd notice her looking out the window," Chung said. A video posted to Chung's TikTok, jenjchung, shows Chilli gazing out of the backdoor window, seemingly surveying the garden before her.
It's not that Chilli wants to go outside. "We take long walks outside and we have a fenced front and backyard she gets to run around in," Chung said. "But even when we get back inside she loves looking outside the window."
Chung has her own idea of what might be motivating this behavior, recalling how Chilli was taken out of a shelter where overcrowding had begun to be an issue.
"My theory is that since she had been stuck in the back due to overcrowding that maybe she had been cooped up and barely got to see outside," she said. "Even though she has way more freedom now to go outside, I think she cherishes being able to see what's happening."
Whatever the case, Chilli might have a little longer than she thought to take in her surroundings with Chung admitting she is "looking more like a foster fail everyday."
With Chung's video of Chilli going viral, she's hopeful her story might inspire others to donate, volunteer or adopt from their local animal rescue.
"Even if you can't foster long term, you can still volunteer by taking dogs out for a quick walk or taking them out for a day!" she said. "People feel bad bringing them back but it's better than staying in the shelter for hours being unsure when they'll get to go out again. Every help is help!"
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines