When Cinnamon, a red-nosed pit bull, was abandoned at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter in North Carolina, she was absolutely devastated.
She had been abandoned without her puppies, and every time someone stopped to talk to her, tears filled her eyes.
This sad pitbull mom caught the attention of a volunteer, who decided to record a short video of her and post it on Facebook.
Just 48 hours later, Cinnamon’s life changed completely.
The Cry of a Broken Heart
Sarah Jennings Sleime, normally a volunteer at the Greater Charlotte SPCA, decided one Saturday to make a spontaneous trip to animal control to see a pair of rescue dogs.
She had no idea that one dog in particular was going to break her heart.
“I walked through the kennels and a pit bull caught my eye… she was sitting, somewhat hunched over, almost like a human,” Sleime wrote in her Instagram post.
It was quite obvious that she had recently had puppies and was completely devastated that her puppies were not with her.
“[Shelter workers] believe she was confined and used as a breeding machine. It’s obvious she’s had many, many litters,” Sleime told The Dodo.
Then, he leaned down and started talking to Cinnamon, but every time he did, Cinnamon’s eyes filled with tears.
“It was the strangest phenomenon,” Sleime said.
In the absence of a foster home, the SPCA was unable to rescue any large dogs, but Sleime knew she had to do something to help this poor dog.
“I took a video of her ‘crying’ and posted it on Facebook. 48 hours later, that video has been viewed 1 MILLION times and shared by 20 thousand people,” Sleime wrote.
In just one day, Sleime’s inbox was filled with hundreds of messages about Cinnamon and its availability.
So many people wanted to adopt this cute girl and give her a new life that wasn’t full of tears.
Happily Ever After Sleime’s friend Meghan Connor Shelton of Charlotte, North Carolina, was also among the hundreds of people who watched Cinnamon’s video.
She told The Dodo:
“I have a special place in my heart for pit bulls. I think they are very misunderstood dogs and breeds. And when I saw her in that video, literally crying in a cage, I cried. My children cried. “I showed my husband, and he said we could go see it tomorrow.”
The next morning, Shelton’s family was first in line to meet Cinnamon.
The whole family, including the children, immediately fell in love with her. “It was love at first sight. It just moved us,” Shelton said.
They filled out the forms and, as soon as Cinnamon – now known as Rosie – was spayed, they took her home.
The family already had another dog at home, a 3-year-old male Pitbull named Blu.
At first, they weren’t sure if the two would get along, especially since Rosie had suffered a lot in her life, but she surprised everyone.
“It was interesting because you never know how it’s going to turn out, but they just sat next to each other with their tails wagging,” Shelton said.
Now the two are best friends and enjoy each other’s company. It’s like they’ve known each other their whole lives.
As Rosie slowly became accustomed to her new home and life, her personality blossomed as well. According to the family, one of his most interesting characteristics is that “when he gets excited, he makes noises like a pig.”
Rosie’s heartwarming video not only secured her a new home, but also helped many other shelter dogs find their forever homes.
“Small acts make a big impact: Not only was this sweet dog, Cinnamon, adopted the next morning, but other families who came to adopt her also saved other dogs at the shelter, freeing up kennels for strays and deliveries. of owners who were waiting in the back and who would surely have been euthanized, since the shelter is full,” Sleime said.
A simple video or photo can reach millions of people and, in a matter of seconds, change someone’s life.
Visit CMPD’s Animal Care and Control page and the SPCA of Greater Charlotte website to learn more about adoptable dogs and for a chance to save another pup’s life, just like Rosie’s was saved.
