Woman brings home dog from shelter without checking profile — her honest confession teaches pet parents key lesson about adoption

Bringing home a new pet is a mix of excitement, nerves, and curiosity. Whether it is a permanent or temporary foster, that first car ride is often full of questions and surprises. One TikTok user, Halee, who goes by the handle @_halee_h, recently shared such a moment that quickly caught the internet’s attention. Her video, featuring a heartfelt conversation with a newly picked-up foster pup, highlights the raw, real side of fostering. While the video is full of charm, it is the unscripted honesty that makes it so memorable.

The clip opens with a message across the screen, "That time I took home a foster pup and did not read a single detail from the 'dog profile' before committing..." As she drives, the pup sits in the backseat, calm but curious. She talks to it like an old friend, saying, “So your name is Barry, that's what the foundation named you, we can call you whatever you want. You want to make up a name?” A moment later, she asks in a soft tone, “By the way, are you a boy or a girl? I didn't really look at your form.” Clearly, she jumped into this without overthinking, and that is what makes the interaction so endearing.

Throughout the ride, she continues her gentle conversation with the pup, mixing care with light-hearted questions. “I thought you were going to be a little bit smaller, but that's okay,” she says casually. Then, with a hint of playfulness, she asks, “Do you like to chew on things? Do you eat shoes and couches? Do you like water?” She reassures the dog that a bath is coming and they are almost home. “We are going to get you some water to drink too… I know you are a little anxious, but we are going to get you home, bud. Are you excited?” She finishes with a gentle reminder, “Don’t try to run away off the leash, okay? You don’t want to go back, we gotta get you adopted in a month.”

The heartwarming clip instantly went viral with over 159K views. Countless users shared warm messages in the comments. @boymom1112 wrote, "I love that you’re just having a conversation with him/her and that dog has zero cares in the world except that they’re going somewhere." @dls479 exclaimed, "He’s just like ‘I like being with you, I’ll be whatever you want.'"  @rachealwalsh expressed, "This is the sweetest conversation, your heart is enormous." @motherofbeagles6 commented, "I love this. I come across so many people who are picky about what dog they will foster. You are an angel."

Hopefully, Barry's new journey will eventually lead him to a successful adoption and loving forever family. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in 2024, around 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues across the country, showing only a slight decrease from the previous year. Of those, about 4.2 million animals were adopted into loving homes, a figure that remained steady compared to 2023. Out of the total adoptions, approximately 2 million were dogs.

For more updates on the pup, follow @_halee_h on TikTok.