A sweet senior Pit Bull, named Capone, watched as everyone around him got a forever home.
Instead of being taken out of his kennel and heading to a place he could feel safe and loved, he was either ignored or put back in his kennel after a brief meeting.
Each shelter mate got adopted and left, one by one. Until Capone was the only one left.
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
It broke the staff’s hearts.
“For quite some time Capone was the only dog we had in the shelter,” Carly Quinn, the director of the Ionia County Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “All the kennels were empty, except for sweet, quiet, kind Capone.”
Capone was initially adopted not long after coming to the shelter but due to not ‘getting along’ with another dog at the house, he was returned. Capone became despondent. He was so depressed that he stopped eating.
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“He lost quite a bit of weight as he just did not have the appetite he did in his home,” Quinn noted. “It was very hard to get him to eat. We had to coax him daily with treats and assorted wet foods.”
Everyone could see that Capone didn’t just lose his appetite… he lost a piece of himself.
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“He was heartbroken,” Quinn said, “and anyone who has felt true heartbreak understands how proper diet takes the back seat.”
Having been adopted and then returned to the shelter changed Capone. “The Capone we met in 2017 and the Capone wet met in 2018 were two different dogs,” Quinn said. “After he was surrendered the second time, it seemed like he picked and chose his friends as if he truly felt betrayed. He became very attached to us shelter staff.”
“He is a ‘velcro dog,’” Quinn added. “A dog who loves to be right next to you, always touching you.”
Because Capone had issues with that other dog at what should have been his forever home, shelter staff only wanted to adopt him out to a home where he was the only dog. This proved more challenging than they thought it would be.
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Staff continuously shared Capone’s photo on their Facebook page, hoping the right person would see him and give him the life he deserves. After the shelter was cleared out, and he remained, they were even more determined to place him. Capone didn’t deserve to be left behind.
Finally, posting his photo on social media paid off!
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Quinn checked their Facebook page and saw a message from a couple interested in Capone. “They had fallen in love with his pictures and his story,” Quinn said. “[When] they came into our shelter later that day, they had already gone to the pet store and made him a custom name tag with his name and their information.”
But everyone was so nervous! Since his second surrender, Capone had become quite picky about who he liked and who he preferred to stay away from. What if he didn’t like his new potential parents?
Quinn practically held her breath. She walked Capone over to meet the couple with her fingers crossed. Quinn said, “As I walked into the lobby with Capone, he stopped and looked at Jon and Ashlee for a while. They both knelt down and Capone ran right into their arms.”
“It was truly a tearjerker,” Quinn added.
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
Even when Capone left, the staff was a mess. They were so nervous he would come back. But as time went on, and the staff checked in on Capone, they realized he DID get his happily ever after. Just look at him in his new home with that peaceful sleepy smile
Ionia County Animal Shelter/Facebook
“Look at that smile,” shelter volunteer Sammie Vincent wrote on Facebook. “Us shelter staff actually cried tears of joy for Capone.”
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What an amazingly beautiful story. It’s all going to work out for Tank and his new owner. 🙂
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Reverse Sneezing In Dogs – What to do…
Does this sound familiar? Your dog suddenly starts making loud snorting sounds—over and over again, in quick succession.
Do you start wondering, did they swallow something they shouldn’t have? Can they breathe?!
Chances are, you’re experiencing the infamous “reverse sneeze.”
Veterinarians often see dogs whose owners rushed them in for an emergency appointment after finding them standing with their elbows apart, head pulled back, and eyes bulging as they snort or gasp repeatedly.
Yet for the vast majority of these dogs, a vet visit was unnecessary.
Reverse sneezing looks and sounds scary the first time you encounter it. However, it’s a fairly common and harmless respiratory event for dogs.
Read on to learn how to identify reverse sneezing, what causes it, and how to tell the difference between a harmless reverse sneeze and something else.
What is reverse sneezing?
A reverse sneeze is pretty much what it sounds like: a sneeze that happens in reverse! The above video is a good example of what it looks and sounds like.
In a regular sneeze, air is rapidly pushed out through the nose. In a reverse sneeze, air is rapidly, and noisily, pulled in through the nose.
It occurs in spasms lasting anywhere from a few seconds up to a minute and sounds like snorting, snuffling, and even gagging. See the above video for an example.
Because of the sounds their dogs make while reverse sneezing, many people mistakenly think their dog is choking. However, a reverse sneeze is almost as normal and harmless as a regular sneeze.
What causes reverse sneezing?
VIA There’s no single cause for a reverse sneeze. Like regular sneezing, it’s often triggered by an irritation or inflammation in the nose, throat, or sinuses.
It often occurs when dogs wake up from a nap, or after eating, when their breathing pattern may have rapidly changed. It’s also caused by irritants in the airway—anything from dust to an inhaled hair!
Some dogs experience more frequent reverse sneezing in springtime when the air is full of pollen and other allergens.
Others reverse sneeze more in the winter, when sudden temperature changes between outdoors and indoors cause the nasal passages to contract.
Another common cause of reverse sneezing is pressure on the throat and neck. A too-tight collar, or straining against the leash, can irritate the throat and lead to a reverse sneeze. That’s just one more reason to consider a harness for your dog.
Finally, some dogs reverse sneeze after exercise, or when they’re overexcited. This is particularly common among brachycephalic, or short-nosed, breeds like pugs and bulldogs.
When they get worked up, they may inhale their elongated soft palates into the throat, triggering an episode of reverse sneezing.
How to end a reverse sneezing episode
VIA Reverse sneezing is super-common, and it won’t hurt your dog. However, some dogs become anxious during a reverse sneezing episode, and a lengthy episode may be uncomfortable.
You can help your dog recover from a reverse sneezing episode by remaining calm yourself. If you get anxious, your dog’s anxiety will increase, too. So, stay calm, and show your dog there’s nothing to panic about.
If your dog is experiencing a particularly long episode of reverse sneezing, you may be able to ease or end the episode by:
- Gently massaging your dog’s throat
- Briefly covering their nostrils, which will cause them to swallow and potentially stop sneezing
- Depressing their tongue with your hand to help open airways
- Some vets suggest gently blowing in your dog’s face
In the vast majority of cases, there’s no need to intervene. Reverse sneezing doesn’t last long, and your dog will be perfectly normal after it stops.
When you should go to the vet
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfoSLvBAsDL/?utm_source=ig_embed
As mentioned, reverse sneezing rarely requires veterinary treatment. As soon as the sneezing episode stops, the situation is resolved. However, if episodes increase in frequency or duration, you should call the vet just in case.
You should also seek treatment if your dog’s reverse sneezing is accompanied by other respiratory symptoms or if they have any unusual discharge from their nose.
Occasionally, chronic reverse sneezing can be a symptom of more serious issues. These include nasal mites, foreign objects in the airway, respiratory infections, and tracheal collapse.
If you’re concerned about the intensity of your dog’s reverse sneezing, take a video to show the vet. They’ll be able to determine potential causes.
Most dogs experience episodes of reverse sneezing at some point in their lives. For the vast majority of dogs, it’s a common, temporary, harmless reaction with no lasting aftereffects.
Of course, it still sounds unsettling to our human ears! But now that you know what reverse sneezing is, you’ll be less likely to make an unnecessary vet visit.
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