ANIMALS

Lonely Shelter Dog Yearns for a Loving Home As No One Adopted Him

Witnessing an adorable dog being abandoned by its supposed forever family always fills us with sadness, but the situation becomes even more heart-wrenching when the pup is forced to part with its home due to unforeseen circumstances. You can see a heartbroken dog in a shelter longing for adoption here.

Ritter and his sibling Corky were surrendered to the Humane Society for Hamilton County in Indiana after their family lost their home and became unable to take care of them. As with many other dogs, Ritter was traumatized and frightened by the sudden loss of his comfortable and familiar surroundings.

Image source: HUMANE SOCIETY FOR HAMILTON COUNTY

“As many dogs are, he was petrified, nervous, and heartbroken,” said Megan Bousley, marketing communications specialist for the Humane Society for Hamilton County. “They don’t understand where their family went and are confused and frightened by the new, loud environment.”

Upon being abandoned in the kennel, he filled everyone’s heart with sorrow by gazing down at the floor and sitting tightly against the wall with an expression of sadness and confusion.

Image source: HUMANE SOCIETY FOR HAMILTON COUNTY

Although Ritter received plenty of affection and support from the shelter staff, it was not a replacement for having a permanent and loving family. “He’s gotten a lot of love and attention from staff,” Bousley shared. “While he’s reserved and nervous in his kennel, he’s full of joy outside, just wanting to play and be loved.”

The shelter staff was concerned about Ritter’s melancholy and made it their mission to find him a new home. They took to Facebook, posting his photo and hoping that someone would see it and offer him the love and care he deserved.

Image source: HUMANE SOCIETY FOR HAMILTON COUNTY

Sophie Spenia stumbled upon Ritter’s photo on the Humane Society for Hamilton County’s Facebook page, which had gone viral with over 3,000 shares. She had been waiting to adopt a big dog until she moved to a house with more space and had been browsing through the shelter’s website and social media every morning. When she saw Ritter’s heartbreaking picture, she knew she had found her perfect match.

Image source: HUMANE SOCIETY FOR HAMILTON COUNTY

“When I saw Ritter’s picture and description go up at 6 a.m. one morning, I immediately texted my sister and said we had to go bust him outta there right after work,” Spenia said. “Two hours later, my sister texted me the Facebook post that she noticed was going viral. So I told my boss the situation and he told me to clock out and get over to the shelter! He’s a dog lover, too.”

Despite Spenia’s worries that Ritter may struggle to adjust to a new family, she was thrilled when the dog showed an affectionate response.

Image source: HUMANE SOCIETY FOR HAMILTON COUNTY

“The minute he came in the visitor area he jogged right on over to me and put his big cute head right in my lap and I could tell he was such a lover,” Spenia said. “I had to have him!”

Following the completion of the paperwork, Ritter finally found his forever home and went with his kind-hearted new owner on Thursday. He was so thrilled that he couldn’t stop beaming during the ride back.

Image source: SOPHIE SPENIA

It’s heartwarming to witness how Ritter, who was once the saddest dog at the shelter, has now found a loving new home with the best mom possible. It’s certain that the rest of his days will be filled with nothing but love and joy.

ANIMALS

Amazing Video of Unseen Ocean Creatures in the Ningaloo Canyons

The Schmidt Ocean Institute recently explored the Ningaloo Canyons on the western coast of Australia using a robotic underwater vehicle called the ROV Sebastian. Check out the amazing video of what they discovered in the deep parts of the Indian Ocean.

More info: Youtube

ANIMALS

These Pics Are Art and the Artists Are Insects

Flying insects move so quickly that they are hard to follow, but new technology and some smart ideas have helped Spanish photographer Xavi Bou do just that. After spending 10 years focusing on birds in flight for his Ornithographies project, he turned his attention to insects.

For Entomographies, he uses high-speed video footage taken by Adrian Smith, an insect expert at North Carolina State University, to study and record how insects move. Bou then picks multiple frames and combines them into single images that show the fast movements of one or more insects through space and time.

With Smith’s help, Bou has captured the aerial tricks of wasps, the jumps of leafhoppers, and the fluttering of butterflies in amazing detail. He hopes that by doing this, he can make people more aware of the decline in important insect populations around the world.

1. Zebra longwing

This butterfly, which is common in many areas of the Americas, really fits its name. It can fly very high with just a few flaps of its large wings.