This senior duo may appear to be a fairly normal pair of dogs, but when you take a closer look, it is hard not to see a strange mark in the middle of their heads.
@allthefosterpups This is the story of my foster dogs Peanut Butter & Jelly. Their story is a sad one, but hopefully one that will soon have a happy ending once they find their forever home. PB & J are just the best of friends who have had a bit of a rough life so far. But they’ve shown us once again how resilient senior dogs are and how much love senior dogs have to give, no matter what they’ve been through. Peanut Butter & Jelly are a bonded pair available for adoption together from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco. Peanut Butter is 12 years young and he weighs 22 lbs, Jelly is 12 years young and weighs 13 lbs. #chihuahuastiktok #seniordogsoftiktok #rescuedogsoftiktok #adoptdontshop #fosterdog #fosteringsaveslives #chihuahuafanclub #muttvillesf #bondedpair ♬ original sound – lisa and senior mutts
Their foster carer Lisa, told Newsweek: “Their previous owner had glued some sort of jewels to their heads. The jewels had to be removed by the vet at the shelter and the glue that was used caused burns to the dogs’ skin.
“Both dogs now have these permanent scars on the tops of their heads from where the jewels were glued on.”
Peanut Butter (left) and Jelly. The pair have almost identical marks on their head, prompting a TikTok user to conclude that the scars were inflicted by a previous owner. allthefosterpups/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Peanut Butter, is a larger brown dog whose scar is more prominent and Jelly, a chihuahua mix, is black and therefore her scar isn’t as obvious. The jewels were removed months ago and their hair still hasn’t grown back, so they are likely to be permanent scars, said Lisa.
Lisa, who lives in Concord, California, recently shared a close-up video of their heads on TikTok. She describes them as “special little scars which make them even more unique.”
Currently the dogs, both 12, are living with Lisa until they are adopted. During the clip that has 63,200 views, Lisa says their previous owner has passed away.
She told Newsweek: “My heart breaks when I think about what they went through before I met them. Unfortunately, their previous owner made some bad decisions, however it is evident that these dogs were well-loved. They are amazing dogs who deserve the most wonderful forever home together.
“They were both surrendered to Sonoma County Animal Services at 12 years old when their owner sadly passed away. County shelters typically have a difficult time adopting out senior dogs and especially bonded pairs, so they were transferred to Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco so they could receive medical care and have the best chance at being adopted out together. They’ve been looking for their forever home since July with very little interest.”
Despite the trauma they have endured, the dogs haven’t lost their faith in humanity. Lisa, who uses the social media handle @allthefosterpups, told Newsweek: “They were immediately so happy and friendly when I got them. They love meeting new people and are wonderful dogs.”
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report” revealed.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.