A heartwarming video of a Chihuahua refusing to return to her shelter kennel has captured the attention of internet viewers, racking up over 155,000 views on TikTok.
The clip, shared by @kellypetspets, features 5-year-old Celeste clinging affectionately to a Humane Society of North Texas staff member. The dog is clearly reluctant to let go as she is gently placed back into her enclosure.
Newsweek spoke to one of the shelter’s behavior trainers, Kelly Rybarczyk, about Celeste, who was one of 37 dogs rescued from a hoarding situation.
Rybarczyk said: “Like all the dogs in this group, Celeste was fearful and shut down when she arrived at the shelter. She spent a lot of time shaking in her kennel. If you tried to touch or pick her up, she would growl and offer to bite.
“Because Celeste had been living feral, the behavior team spent months earning her trust and teaching her that human interaction is a positive experience,” Rybarczyk said.
“Eventually, Celeste was coming up to greet us at the kennel door and leaping into our arms when we would take her outside to play. She showed an amazing resilience and capacity to adapt. Now, all Celeste wants is to be held by people she loves and trusts.”
Last week, Celeste was adopted and is doing well in her new home, leaving her brother behind.
What Is Animal Hoarding?
The Animal Legal Defense Fund says there are likely at least 250,000 animal victims of hoarding annually across the country.
Newsweek reached out to Professor Nick Neave, who is the director of the Hoarding Research Group at Northumbria University in England.
He said that object hoarding is often a coping mechanism rooted in childhood trauma and neglect, affecting how individuals form relationships. People may develop deep emotional attachments to items—either because they remind them of loved ones or because they serve as substitutes for people they have learned to distrust.
Neave said: “Animal hoarding appears to be very similar and makes more sense as we all attach to animals (e.g. pets), but what is odd is that, while people who hoard animals say that they deeply love their animals, they don’t care for them very well.
“One issue is that animal hoarders do not engage at all with researchers and so their insight into their behaviors is lacking—it is also the case that there appear to be more than one ‘type’ of animal hoarder each with slightly different characteristics. These behaviors are uncommon, but are often hidden, and cause huge problems for the local authorities.”
Rybarczyk said: “In this case, what probably started out as two Chihuahuas quickly ballooned to almost 40, and the owners were no longer able to provide care or socialization for these pups. That is where our shelter was able to step in and provide relief to the owners, assistance for the Chihuahuas and end the cycle of breeding.”
Rybarczyk described the house to be “in poor condition with inches of urine and feces covering every surface.”
“The Chihuahuas were living as a feral pack that was able to run in and out of the house because the front door had been broken. All the dogs were in poor condition due to lack of access to ample food and clean water. They were also infested with many parasites, internal and external. Many lacked hair due to flea dermatitis,” Rybarczyk said.
TikTok Reacts
“I wish I could take her, so precious,” said one user.
“I could never do this job bc [because] I would simply give in to every single animal,” added another, and Rybarczyk responded: “We have to let them go to make room for the next pet that needs help. Those who can’t let go become animal hoarders in need of help too.”
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