In a heartbreaking video going viral, a family is shown walking away from their excited dog stuck at a shelter, leading to anger and outrage on social media. 

For anyone that has a soft spot for animals, this short video may be a tough one to watch. Posted by an employee of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control, the video shows a family arrive at the center to find their dog, who has escaped from their yard earlier in the day, wagging its tail with excitement at the thought of going home. But rather than rejoicing at seeing their lost pup, the family pulls a savage move.

As detailed in this story from the New York Times, the family appears to say goodbye to their dog, walk away and as it turns out, adopted a new dog later that day. The employee that posted the video talked with the family who said "they were not taking their dog home, they were there to get a new dog instead." An update posted recently states the family did not adopt a new dog as they had initially planned.

It didn't take long for the social media firestorm to erupt. People were outraged and flabbergasted that any family could abandon their dog. To make matters worse, the dog's father also belonged to the family before he died from illness. Angered people left comments that included calling the family "scum" as well as suggesting "they should never be allowed to own another dog again".

Given the time of year, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that someone was there to rescue the abandoned pup. Check out this happy ending post.

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