Downey dog goes viral after heartbreaking video

DOWNEY – A dog at a local animal shelter has gone viral in a matter of days due to a video where her adopted family seemingly leaves her behind in favor of a new pet.

The Facebook video, posted by a worker at the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control Center in Downey, shows interaction between three individuals and an obviously excited dog.

According Desi Lara, the original poster of the footage, the dog’s previous owners (those allegedly in the video)did not intend to retrieve their lost pup, and were instead looking to adopt a new dog, leaving their old pet behind.

The video has gained a head of steam, receiving public and media attention on a broad scale.

According to officials with the shelter, the approximately 2-year old German shepherd mix, now named Zuzu, was picked up on Thanksgiving after the shelter received reports of an “aggressive stray dog.”

Once the shelter recovered Zuzu however, it was found that Zuzu was not aggressive in nature and in fact was quite friendly, according to an official speaking on behalf of the shelter.

According to the shelter official, while Zuzu did display enthusiastic behavior that would seemingly point to her recognition of the individuals shown, it has not been officially proved that the family in the brief clip was in fact Zuzu’s former owners.

The official went on to add that it was never brought to the shelter’s attention that Zuzu’s potential owners may had been at the shelter, and that if the shelter withholds the option to not adopt a pet out if they were to believe that an owner would be unfit to care for the animal.

There has been overwhelming interest in Zuzu since her story spread, as the shelter has maxed out on the number of potential interested parties to take the dog. Zuzu is expected to be adopted out to a rescue group later this week.