12-Year-Old Dog Left at Shelter by Family ‘Wondering Where He Went Wrong’

A senior dog taken back to the shelter by his family was left confused about what had happened to his previous life, shattering the internet’s heart.

The 12-year-old Labrador mix, Hugo, was brought to the London Animal Care Centre on April 16 by his previous family. His entire world turned upside down. The animal shelter, known on Instagram as @londonanimalcare, shared in Tuesday’s video how Hugo now spends most of his days—sleeping on his tiny cot with his head down and his eyes filled with confusion.

After 12 years of living with his family, he was left alone in a kennel, “wondering where he went wrong.” He went from going on adventures and having warm snuggles with his family to adjusting to a loud and chaotic shelter environment.

The recent video explained that Hugo, luckily, settled into his new life at the shelter “in no time.” The senior dog thrives on routine and loves to patrol the yard, keeping it safe from squirrels, but he can also be found napping in his bed.

Despite his age and prominent gray hairs on his snoot, the shelter called him a “young-at-heart kind of guy” on the website. He still shows off his energy, as he loves running around. He enjoys making noise with his barks and will sometimes pull on the leash if he spots something, but with extra training, the shelter believes he’ll be a walking expert in no time.

Newsweek reached out to @londonanimalcare via Instagram for additional comment.

The shelter is hopeful that the right family, preferably in a home with no kids or pets, will adopt him so he can spend his golden years surrounded by love.

Instagram users flooded the comment section with their disappointment over the family abandoning him. The clip amassed over 12,100 views and 547 likes as of Thursday.

“This is just heartbreaking. People pray for more time with their fur babies, they don’t drop them off at the shelter when it’s time that they need us.. the owners should be ashamed. I hope he finds his family soon,” wrote one viewer.

Another asked: “How could someone abandon this sweet soul in his golden years?!?”

A third person said: “Just look at that sweet little face!!”

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