Amanda Tillotson said she didn’t expect to see her animal shelter pop up on her news feed with nearly two million views.
“I was scrolling and then I saw River and Cassidy, and I was like, ‘wait, what? The Dodo?’” said Tillotson, executive director for the Humane Animal Treatment Society.
The video featured Cassidy Elzinga, a former HATS employee, and a shelter dog named River. The two bonded while Elzinga was working at HATS, and their story was shared by The Dodo, an animal-centered media company.
Tillotson said she hopes the video conveys how meaningful connections with pets can be.
“I think overall, it will show people -- whether they’re adopting from HATS or from any other animal shelter or rescue -- that it is such an amazing experience that we hope most people will be able to enjoy sometime in their life,” Tillotson said. “There’s so many wonderful animals to be adopted out there like River.”
Tillotson said there are always pets up for adoption at HATS, and she encourages people to look into fostering or adopting to find their own companion.
To learn more about adoption and HATS, visit the HATS website here.
