When Cinnamon – a red nose Pitbull girl – was dumped at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter in North Carolina, she was absolutely heartbroken.
She had been abandoned without her babies, and every time anyone stopped to talk to her, tears filled her eyes.
This sad Pitbull mama caught the eyes of one volunteer, who then decided to film a short video of her and post it on Facebook.
Only 48 hours later, the life of Cinnamon completely changed.
Cry Of A Broken Heart
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Sarah Jennings Sleime, normally a volunteer for the Greater Charlotte SPCA, decided one Saturday that she was going to make a spontaneous trip to animal control to check out a couple of dogs for rescue.
She had no idea that one dog in particular was going to break her heart.
“I walked the kennels and a pit bull caught my eye… she was sitting up, kind of slumped-over, almost human-like,” Sleime wrote in her Instagram post.
It was pretty obvious that she recently had puppies and was completely heartbroken since her puppies weren’t there with her.
“[The shelter workers] believe she was confined and used as a breeding machine. She’s obviously had many, many litters,” Sleime told The Dodo.
She then bent over and started to talk to Cinnamon, but each time she did so, Cinnamon’s eyes filled with tears.
“It was the craziest phenomenon,” Sleime said.
In the absence of a foster home, the SPCA was unable to rescue any big dogs, but Sleime knew she had to do something to help this poor dog.
“I snapped some video footage of her “crying” and posted it to Facebook. 48 hours later, that video has been viewed 1 MILLION times and shared by 20k people,” Sleime wrote.
In only a day, Sleime’s inbox was filled with hundreds of messages about Cinnamon and her availability.
So many people wanted to adopt this pretty girl and give her a new life that will not be filled with tears.
Happily Ever After
Sleime’s friend, Meghan Connor Shelton, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was also among the hundreds of people to see Cinnamon’s video.
She told The Dodo:
“I have a special place in my heart for pit bulls. I think they’re a very misunderstood dog and a misunderstood breed. And when I saw her in that video, literally crying in a cage, I cried. My kids cried. I showed my husband, and he said we could go look at her tomorrow.”
The next morning, Shelton’s family was first in line to meet Cinnamon.
The whole family, including the children, were immediately in love with her. “It was love at first sight. She just kind of pulled at our heartstrings,” Shelton said.
They filled out the paperwork, and as soon as Cinnamon – now known as Rosie – was spayed, they brought her home.
The family already had another dog at home – a 3-year-old Pitbull male named Blu.
At first, they weren’t sure if the two would get along, especially since Rosie had suffered a lot in her life, but she surprised everyone.
“It was interesting because you never know how it’s going to go, but they just kind of sat next to each other with tails wagging,” Shelton said.
The two are now the best of friends, and they enjoy each other’s company. It’s like they’ve known each other their whole life.
As Rosie slowly got used to her new home and life, her personality also blossomed. According to the family, one of her most interesting characteristics is that “when she gets excited, she snorts like a pig”.
Rosie’s touching video not only secured her a new home, but it also helped many other dogs at the shelter find their forever home.
“Small acts have a big impact: Not only was this sweet dog, Cinnamon, adopted the next morning, but other families who came to adopt her saved other dogs at the shelter, freeing up kennels for strays and owner surrenders waiting in the back who would have certainly been euthanized as the shelter is full,” Sleime said.
One simple video or a photo can reach millions of people and in a matter of seconds, change someone’s life.
Visit the CMPD Animal Care and Control page, and the Greater Charlotte SPCA’s website for more information about adoptable dogs for an opportunity to save another pup’s life just like Rosie’s was saved.
My Wedding Planner Said I Canceled My Own Wedding but I Didn’t – The Truth Left Me Speechless
Chelsea is all set to marry Rasmus, the man of her dreams. But when the wedding day arrives and no guests show up, Chelsea has to figure out who canceled her wedding and whether her groom is right for her or not.
I’ve always wanted that ‘Happily Ever After’ kind of romantic life. So, when I met Rasmus, I thought I had finally gotten it. But as my wedding day began to unravel, it seemed I had gotten the nightmare version instead.
Rasmus and I met at a bakery. It was a sweet little meet-cute situation — where I was convinced he was the perfect person for me. We exchanged numbers over rye bread.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Chelsea,” he said, holding onto a loaf of artisanal bread.
He called me just as he left the bakery, wanting us to have dinner that night.
Two short years later, we were waking up to our wedding day.
That morning, I showered early, eagerly awaiting my hair and makeup appointments. I remember sitting at the edge of the hotel bed, looking at my dress and holding my breath.
I couldn’t wait to marry Rasmus. I couldn’t wait to begin our lives together.
So, the day went on — my maid of honor, my sister Jess, was with me, and we continued to get ready.
“Where’s Mom?” Jess asked. “Shouldn’t she be getting dressed with us?”
“No, we decided it would be best for her and Dad to meet us at the venue. You know she doesn’t get along with Rasmus.”
Jess shook her head.
“You’d think that Mom would have sorted out her feelings by now.”
It was true, my parents loved me — but they just couldn’t see Rasmus and me together.
“There’s just something off about him,” my father would say. “But we respect your wishes to marry him.”
Closer to the time, Jess called for the hotel car, and we made our way to the wedding venue.
“Where is everyone?” Jess asked, echoing my thoughts.
It was an entire wedding venue with literally not a soul in sight. There was no welcome sign for the guests, no welcome drinks, no décor, no staff, and absolutely no guests.
Not even Rasmus.
“Get Brenda on the phone,” I said, talking about my wedding planner.
I was beginning to panic. I was all dressed and ready to go. It was supposed to be my special day.
“Brenda, where is everyone?” I asked when Jess handed me the phone.
“What do you mean?” Brenda’s calm voice came through the speaker.
“I’m at my wedding venue, and there’s nobody here!” I exclaimed, the panic evident in my voice.
“Chelsea, honey,” Brenda said. “The wedding was canceled. The directive came through your email address just three days ago.”
My heart almost stopped beating.
How could I have canceled my own wedding? I went through my emails, and sure enough, there it was.
Dear Brenda,
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the wedding is off. Please notify all the guests and the vendors.
But it made no sense. It was from my corporate account — an account that my family had access to because we all worked at the family business together.
My mind raced — did Mom and Dad? Could they really…? No, they couldn’t have.
They always said that it was my life and my choices. Even if they didn’t approve of Rasmus, they wouldn’t hurt me like this.
I needed to hear it from them.
But my parents were just as shocked as I was.
“We were on a flight, honey,” my father said. “I had a business meeting, and your mother tagged along with me. We had nothing to do with it. We did get the cancellation from Brenda and just wanted to give you your space.”
“I didn’t see any email,” Jess said. “But you know how bad I am at checking my mail.”
That’s when it hit me — the only other person who would have access to my email accounts, work and personal, was Rasmus.
The same man who was supposed to be waiting for me at the other end of the aisle.
I asked Jess to take me home, ready for answers. I needed to know what was happening and how it all unfolded without my knowledge.
I walked into our little apartment, and there he was. Rasmus, sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal. He had no intention of leaving the house because he was in his sweatpants, wearing glasses, and his hair was wavy.
His usual armor of being well-dressed, contacts in, and hair swept into his signature hairstyle was all missing.
“You canceled our wedding?” I asked before he could say anything.
Rasmus didn’t even try to hide it. He had canceled the wedding because, three days ago, he realized that as much as he loved me, he wasn’t ready for marriage.
So, he panicked.
“I didn’t have the courage to tell you,” he said. “I figured that you’d think the wedding was on, and then when the slip-up happened, you would want to investigate it. I thought it would take the heat off me.”
As I stood there, my wedding day in ruins around me, I realized that my parents were right. Rasmus wasn’t the person for me. And as much as it hurt, a part of me was relieved he did it.
So, here I am, looking at my wedding dress and wondering what to do with it.
What would you have done?
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