By Liz O'ConnellShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA rescue dog’s first night in her new home took a heartbreaking turn when the owner noticed her nudging her food and bowl with her nose—an instinct sometimes tied to dogs worried about when their next meal will come.
TikTok user @nightmare.le shared that she rescued a Husky last year who had been abused, neglected and nearly starved, and was facing euthanasia. The October 1 video shows the dog repeatedly moving her food bowl with her nose, a gesture that tugged at the owner's heart as she imagined the dog’s past struggles.
There are several reasons canines exhibit this behavior, including a stashing trait learned from their ancestors, according to Dogster. Wild dogs, such as wolves, know that food can be scarce at times, which compels them to save food. In this rescue's case, she might be saving or hiding it because she would have previously been starved, unsure when the next meal would come.
But now, she will learn that her meals will always come. Her owner wrote in the caption: "Forever safe, my sweet girl."
...The owner said her dog exhibited this behavior for about 2 to 3 months, then stopped, similar to what research has found.
A 2012 survey published in Animals found that food bowl guarding—stiffening, gulping, growling, freezing, and/or biting—is one of the most common reasons for euthanasia at animal shelters across the United States. However, further research found that, when placed in a home modification program, these dogs, who guarded their food in the shelter, did not guard their food in their new homes after three months. These dogs were highly bonded to their owners, and their return rates were lower than those of the general shelter population.
Viewer Reactions
The TikTok video reached over 1.1 million views, 57,400 likes and nearly 600 comments as of Friday, with many saddened by his heartbreaking behavior.
"I had to hand feed my rescues that did this so they understood no one was gonna take it from them. I can only imagine what they went through," wrote one viewer.
Another added: "My shelter dog did this his first night home too! I literally sobbed for 30 minutes."
Newsweek reached out to @nightmare.le via TikTok for comment.
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