Minutes away from death, Georgia shelter dog's miraculous rescue has the internet in tears

A heartfelt TikTok video of a shelter dog walking free out of a euthanasia room is everything that proves miracles can happen anywhere, anytime. Bruce, a resident of DeKalb County Animal Services, was minutes away from being euthanized until a kind stranger showed up like a true messiah, giving him a second shot at life. The unbelievable rescue of the shelter dog, shared on rescueme_atl (@rescueme_atl on TikTok), quickly went viral on social media, leaving everyone on the internet sobbing. 

Unfortunately, Bruce, the adorable dog, was abandoned as a six-month-old puppy, and that's how he first entered the shelter. Shortly after, he was adopted, and just when everything started to feel right, Bruce was again returned to the shelter, Newsweek reported. Like countless others, Bruce, too, perhaps struggled to find a forever home, and this explains why the shelter, dealing with a lack of space, had to make the heartbreaking decision of euthanizing him. Bruce was taken inside the euthanasia room, and he had already been given the sedative, when Todd Smith, the one who rescued the dog arrived. 

"Mr. Todd came at the very last second to save Bruce today at DeKalb County Animal Services. He then waited 5 hours for him to wake up from sedation. This is his freedom walk," the officials wrote, as they shared glimpses of Bruce walking out of the euthanasia room. "You got this, Bruce! Saving your life, boy," said someone in the background, as the fur ball walked towards his new life. Now, remember, Bruce was beyond lucky to find someone like Mr. Todd, but not everyone gets to experience that. In fact, in 2024, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reported that 334,000 dogs were put to sleep in the United States alone.

The heartwarming video of Bruce received an outpouring of love on social media, with people praising the kind man for rescuing the dog just in time. For instance, @_melissaredding said, "This has me crying. Poor innocent baby. Thank you to whoever saved him!" @sakura wrote, "Ohhh...that's so traumatizing. I bet he was very happy to find out he was still alive and had a real home to go to." Likewise, @wyn124 revealed, "It is so rewarding saving a dog off a code red kill list. They were going to kill my dog, Georgie, if he hadn’t been saved the day I rescued him. Save a shelter pup! You won’t regret it!"

A person, @chelseachapters, on the platform commented, "I saved one of my fosters as he was being walked into the euthanasia room. He is in a home with little kids now & so loved! Please consider fostering an at-risk dog." Similarly, another user who goes by @riley confessed on TikTok, "The tears won’t stop. Happy tears for Bruce, sad tears for all the pups that went in and the door closed and never reopened. Thank you for saving Bruce!" On the other hand, @holly.richardson18 revealed, "When I was 15, we rescued a Rottie off the euthanasia list; we made it with 30 minutes to spare. Forever thankful I saw that post and convinced my parents in time." @jerichorose34 commented, "I just wish we didn't have to euthanize any of them. I want them all to be saved and have a home." 

You can follow rescueme_atl (@rescueme_atl) on TikTok for more dog rescue stories.

If you know of a dog about to be euthanized, please reach out to 'SAFE Rescue Team' at (714) 369-3699 or SAFE@saferescueteam.org to give the animal a shot at adoption.