Homeless teen couldn’t afford to keep his dog. Then came emotional Mississippi reunion

The tear-jerking separation of a homeless teenager and his dog last week has ended with an outpouring of support and a heartwarming reunion, according to staff at the Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter in Mississippi.

It all began with a photo of a sad-looking 4-month old dog lying on the floor that was uploaded to the shelter’s Facebook page and shared more than 2,000 times as of Monday, April 11.

“This is where she layed (sic) after her owner surrendered her today with her plastic bag of dog food and a blanket,” reads the April 5 post. “She is devastated.”

The dog had just been surrendered to the shelter by her owner, a 17-year-old boy who told shelter staff he was living under a bridge in Tate County and could no longer afford to care for his dog, according to Kris Robinson, the interim shelter director.

“When he left and walked away, I could see him wiping his face from behind, and it just broke my heart,” Robinson told McClatchy News.

The dog was also clearly upset.

“She was heartbroken,” Robinson said. “She got up on a chair and looked out the window.”

Robinson said she wanted to share the story on Facebook to tell the community about the sad separation she’d just witnessed — and also commend the boy for his commitment to ensuring that his dog was well cared for.

She never expected what happened next.

“I was touched by what he did and that’s why I wanted to share that,” she said. “And the community response has just been almost overwhelming to me.”

Robinson said the shelter received Facebook messages and calls from people in the community and all over the country asking how they could help the boy and his dog.

“Calls from Massachusetts and Atlanta and Arizona and California,” she said. “I think it’s awesome and it makes me proud of this community.”

Within just a few days, the shelter received a few thousand dollars in donations as well as an offer from a local family to take in the teenager and his dog, Robinson said. The family is working with a city attorney to get temporary custody of the teenager, and they plan to help him finish high school and apply to community college, she said.

On April 7, the Senatobia Police Department wrote on Facebook that officers found the teen, who “is now safe.” The department did not immediately respond to a request for additional information from McClatchy News.

Robinson said the shelter will help get the dog spayed and supply the family with a year of flea and tick medicine.

The dog is still living at the shelter, she said, but will get to go home with her owner as soon as he settles in with his newfound guardians.

Since dropping her off at the shelter, the teenager has been back once to visit her, and it was an emotional reunion, Robinson said.

“She just was all over him, kissing him,” she said. “He picked her up and was hugging her. He was pretty excited to see her, and she was, too.”

Senatobia is about 40 miles south of downtown Memphis.

This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Homeless teen couldn’t afford to keep his dog. Then came emotional Mississippi reunion."